Trapped Within
by Anne Voda Hijme
Summary: Sephiroth/Vincent. Premise is Hojo decides to end Valentine's slumber early for a mission. Vincent is tricked into agreeing. He quickly discover how long he's been asleep and how different things are now. Events will be shake Shinra Inc. to its very core.
1. A Plan

Anne: Well this is my first Final Fantasy fanfiction. Since I've read and love so many Sephiroth/Vincent pairings I decided to write one. It was randomly inspired as I was writing the Fire Emblem one. This one should be updated monthly. So, honest critiques will be appreciated.

Chapter 1

A Plan

He was on his last straw. Really how hard is it to go to a lab grab a few notes and samples, and leave without being caught. He readjusted his glasses as he skimmed over what little the Turks have gathered. If only he could give the Turks the Soldier's mako level, then this wouldn't be an issue. Of course, the president of Shinra wouldn't approve of that. Hojo sighed irritable as he tossed the note down.

He gathered a few files and went to pick it up when it sliced his finger. He stared at the already closing wound, thinking of what that reminded him of... … That was it. He ridiculed himself of why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Of course, it's been over two decade since he locked up Valentine in the coffin. Now the real challenge would be getting Valentine to dance as his puppet. That answered simmered in his mind quickly as well. He quickly dialed a number on his phone, as a wicked grin settled onto his face. Things were looking up.

* * *

Reno was enjoying the fact that Hojo's mission was over and not in that scientist's favor either. His legs were up on his desk as he lean back against his chair. He could see his partner shacking his head. "It's comfortable, yo. Maybe you should try it and get a smile plastered on your face. That be a nice change."

Rude sighed at his partner's antics. "One of us have to be serious."

"Isn't like we're on an assignment, yo."

Tseng rapped a file on the redhead. "You are now," he stated, "Another one for Hojo."

Reno jumps up. "You gotta be kidding me. Did you tell that guy that we're not his dogs at beck and call?"

Tseng sighed, "This time the President is backing up this request."

"Yo, for real?"

"Just get the job done," commanded Tseng. He left the offices swiftly leaving the file in the redhead's hands.

"Dude, what's the rush?"

"A meeting?" Rude suggested as he pulled the file from his partner's hand. Suddenly he looked stunned. Reno leaned forward and asked, "so, what are we doing this time?"

"We're getting a coffin from the mansion," the bald Turk explained, "in Nibelheim."

"Right, so we're going to Nibelheim and bringing back a...wait a sec. A coffin!?! Are we picking up some dead guy or what?"

Rude shrugged. Reno kicked his desk, "We're takin' my copter. Sooner this is done the better."

Rude nodded in agreement as he followed his partner. The helicopter flight was short and uneventful. They landed outside of Nibelheim. The two Turks headed to the ruined mansion. Reno gave a nervous smile to his partner. "I hope there aren't ghost here, yo."

The dark skin Turk adjusted his shades as he responded, "You believe they exist."

The redhead didn't respond as he eagerly tugged on the door. With a sharper tug it opened with a loud creak. The manor was dark and damp. He quickly surveyed the room. He curiously asked, "so, where's this coffin?"

Rude pulled a blueprint from the file. "It's in the basement," he read, "We need a key to get to the room. It's somewhere on the stairway down."

"Right. Lead on, map reader."

Rude shook his head as he quickly located and headed down the stairs. They reached the bottom of the dusted corridor. Reno glanced around, "So, where's the key?"

"It only says stairs."

"Tch figures," the redhead commented. He swiftly checked each step until he found an old style key. "Hope this is it, yo."

The other nodded as he led down the hall past the library to a locked door. The redhead leaped to the door and fiddled with the key. He grins as it opened the door. Inside was dustier than the rest of the dark manor. There were three coffins. Two were opened with skeletons. He frowned and darkly said, "Guess Hojo did these guys in."

Reno attempted to open the third coffin when the bald Turk stopped him. "It says specifically not to open it," Rude informed.

"No fun yo," the redhead sighed. They each took an end and began to carry it out. "Wonder what's in here; doesn't weigh much."

"I rather not know," the bald Turk stated.

"Ya ya, you're probably right about that. It's probably some monstrous experiment." The coffin was loaded onto the copter. The ride back to Midgar was uneventful as well. The Turks hopped out swiftly. "Delivering this directly to creepy dude?"

Rude nodded as they once again lifted the coffin and began to transverse the lesser known hallways. Reno was walking backwards when he felt a breath on his shoulder. "So," the mischievous voice asked, "what are you up too?"

The redhead Turk jumped, but not enough to drop his load. Sephiroth chuckled as the Turk glared. "Jeez," he said annoyed, "way to scare a fellow, yo. Can't you see we're busy."

Sephiroth smirked. "Yes with a coffin of all things. I didn't think you Turks bother to keep the bodies."

Rude rolled his eyes and firmly stated, "We don't." Reno added, "But Hojo does."

The General stiffen. "You're doing this for Hojo?"

Reno nodded and finished, "Yeah, and I would like to get rid of this thing sooner rather than later. So later, yo."

He could see the cat green eyes stare as they rounded the corner. He fingered for the door knob and swiftly opened the door. The redhead could sense rather than see Hojo. "So where ya want us to put this, yo?"

Hojo threw a frown before he smiled at the sight of the coffin. "Right there," he commanded the Turks who set it down. He waved his hand to dismiss them. Reno couldn't helped, but to note Hojo's evil grin. He silently shivered as he walked out. _Glad I'm done with that._

* * *

Vincent felt his world sway. It was a strange feeling when you're stuck in dreams-no-memories. Memories that were often nightmares. They would flicker though everything and anything. He didn't know how long he's been in this state though he was sure its been months. Even so, everything was fresh in his mind as if it was now. Lucrecia and her self experimentation on both herself and her unborn child lingered on his mind often along with his failed confrontation with Hojo, which of course led to his death. That logically led to the numerous experiments Hojo done along with the single one by his beloved, Lucrecia. He wondered why Lucrecia took him back to Hojo. He concluded that her strange pregnancy left her too weak to fight with her husband.

That thought would make Vincent think of the silver hair boy in Hojo's lab. Lucrecia's son. He had not only failed Lucrecia, but her son as well. He had watched Hojo raised the child as an experiment. He could recall the one time he was able to hold the child. His inner demons or to be more correct Chaos helped him.

It was a day after long experimentation, Vincent laid against the wall of his cage recovering. He saw Hojo with the baby. He was going to do something to him what he did not know. He wasn't even sure about what Hojo did to himself let alone anyone else. The scientist's beeper went off. With some curses muttered, he set the child down and left. The silver haired baby began to cry as he awaken. Such an innocently desperate sound. Vincent became determine to hold the child and to comfort him.

The first task will be to escape the cage. Vincent gave a hesitant tug on the bar. It didn't budge. _Chaos, I need to get to Sephiroth will you help? _**The child of the woman you failed? You know I'm affected by the experiments as much as you are. I wouldn't be able to help us escape let alone that child. **_I just wish to hold him for now. _**Tch. I will, mortal, allow you to use my strength-don't expect this to be a common occurrence. **_I won't_. Vincent promised sincerely. He jerked the bar with both hands. It was the time before Hojo took his right arm. The bars were moved enough for him to squeeze past.

Vincent gently cradle the child in his arms while making soothing sounds. Sephiroth stopped his crying and stared. Red eyes met green ones. The man couldn't suppress the smile as the child grabbed his black hair and pulled. He continued to rock the baby and began to sing a short lullaby he remembered.

"_Hush young one hush._

_Can't you hear the sky cry for your smile._

_The drops fall yearning_

_for the rare moment when _

_your face shine in bliss._

_Oh sweet one here._

_Can't you see the stars shine in pride._

_The light so sincere_

_watching your every move_

_and cradling your soul._

_Young child of mine._

_Can't you feel the wind cradle your skin?_

_So soft and gentle_

_kissing your pain away_

_chasing all fears away._"

Vincent didn't keep track of time, but he heard the madman's loud footsteps. He sighed as he turn to face Hojo as the man walked in. Hojo's surprise flickered across his face, but only for a second before it was replaced with a scowl. "Valentine, I didn't realize you had enough strength to crawl out of your cage after that long procedure."

The ex-Turk's face harden as he heard Hojo's statement and more so when he heard Chaos's dark chuckle. Hojo's cruel smile appeared. "Give Sephiroth to me, Valentine."

The gunman frowned at the demand. He knew he wasn't going to be able to escape with the child; he knew it from the beginning. He didn't like the idea of giving Sephiroth back to that man without some kind of resistance. The red eyes observed the others slow encroachment. He suppressed a growl as he gently bent down to put the baby down on the counter. He raised up to realize the silver hair child had his ink black hair in hand. The hunched gunman undid baby's hold and gently kissed his forehead.

Hojo by that time was at Vincent's side. He had watched the interaction between the two with mild interest. Now that Sephiroth was thoroughly detached from the ex-Turk, the scientist injected the sedative, which rendered the other unconscious.

The next day, Vincent awaken to his left arm being well replaced with a golden metal. Hojo took his arm; it was punishment for holding Sephiroth he bet. Not that he regretted it, but it was in a way his dominant hand. He was technically ambidextrous; he could shoot with his right hand. He just had a prefer his left. The next set of procedures he went though were more intense than usual. The gunman was given little time to recover. A week or two of this led to being sealed into a coffin. He figured the madman was worried that he would try to escape with Sephiroth. It was his idea until he never had time to recover.

The movement stopped abruptly. He rather sense than heard his imprisonment open. The light seemed intense as Vincent try to peel his eyes open. He quickly realize all his muscles were very stiff from his long slumber. Finally red eyes open to an unpleasant sight, Hojo. The gunman sat up to seem a little more formidable against the madman. He was tense and it wasn't helping that the other was smirking. The ex-Turk swallowed trying to get some moisture to soothe his throat before he stiffly asked, "What do you want, Hojo?"

He was silently proud that his voice didn't crack from disuse. As he heard a familiar and horrible voice replied, "you are going to rejoin the Turks, Valentine."

Red eyes glare as he spoke, "Why would I do that?"

Hojo's smirk deepen, "Because Valentine I can still hurt you, though I doubt you care about that. If you don't rejoin the Turks, I'll hurt Sephiroth."

The gunman stiffen further. "I thought he was your most precious experiment."

"One that isn't achieving my expectations," Hojo retorted.

Red eyes close as he pondered the options. **Just kill him already.** _No I will access the situation before killing him. Lucercia's child must be out of harm's way first. _"Fine I shall do so."

He could hear Chaos growl in annoyance. Hojo smirk widen. "Good, the leader of the Turks will be here shortly."

The door opened. A raven hair Wutarian came in dressed in Turk uniform. His eyes quickly focus to Vincent. He realize that he wasn't in his usual attire, but black tight leather with a bulky red cape. **Don't worry it is quite a good look for you, host.** "Valentine?" the Wutarian questioned.

Vincent nodded as he stood up and step out of the coffin. This man must be the current leader of the Turks. He guessed it was too much to hope for it to still be Veld. Red eye man tried to avoid Hojo's gaze that seemed to follow him. Chaos wasn't pleased with his decision at all. He suppressed a sigh as he followed the Turk to the elevator. Out of habit, he hit the 6th button. The Turk looked mildly surprised, but didn't say anything.

Vincent followed the other through the open Turk offices to the one reserved to the head Turk. The other Turks went silent at the sight of the red eyed man. The door closed behind them and the whispers would begin. The two sat down. The Turk began, "I'm Tseng the head Turk. I hear you are rejoining the Turks?"

Crimson eyes flashed. "For now," he monotonously replied.

"I know you were a Turk once, but things are different now. I would like to test your abilities myself."

Vincent just nodded. Tseng got up and open the office door. As he expected Turks were trying to overhear the conversation. "Reno," the head Turk commanded, "you're coming with me to test our new recruit."

The redhead flashed a grin. "Right, boss."

The three headed to the basement training arena. It looked mostly the same as when he was a Turk. "Where do you wish me to begin?"

Tseng replied, "Shooting."

Vincent smiled as he went over to the first gun. He picked it up the gun and checked it before he shot three times. All three bullets hit vital points of the human target: head, heart, throat. _Looks like I haven't lost my touch despite it all. _The gunman moved on to the next and repeated until he reached the machine gun. He raised a single eyebrow at the leader before he carefully set out a dozen bullets through the head and chest. "Satisfied," he asked flatly.

He could tell the redhead known as Reno was impressed. Tseng just nodded as they led him to a door that read Simulator. That was new, the red eyed man wasn't sure what to expect as he walked in. The door closed behind him. He was standing in a fair sized four white wall room. Tseng's voice flickered through the intercom. "You are to sneak into the base. The map and other information will be on the phone at your feet."

Vincent looked down to see a virtual phone. He was terrible confused. His surrounding were different, yet Chaos was murmuring it was still the same one door room. **There isn't anything in your hand. **If Chaos was right, how could he feel it in his hands when he picked it up? He hesitantly opened it and quickly read over the details. Simple enough mission. He jumped up the roof and sneaked carefully across. Blending into the shadows, he moved silently and swiftly, venturing into the sunlight when necessary.

In no time, he was in front of the base. With a quick look over, the gunman saw the redhead Turk was there. He carefully jumped to the base's rooftop without raising notice. He broke the window's lock and went inside. The leader's voice resounded, "Good job, Valentine."

Everything was white again and the redhead looked at him. "Yo, how ya get pasted me."

"The roof," he replied simply.

"What!? How you get past me in those clunkers?" Reno pointed at his boots.

"I can be quiet when I need to be." To prove his point, he walked without making a noise and then walked with them regularly with the clanking noise. "So what was that?"

"What was what?"

"This room...that place." The aquamarine eyes blink as he stated incredulously, "You never seen a hologram before?"

The head interrupted, "Only one thing left to test. Close combat. Reno, here, will be your opponent."

Vincent nodded while ignoring the look the redhead gave. They left the white room to the training arena he was familiar with. Reno quickly jumped onto the raised platform. The gunman walked on without picking up a weapon. "Guess you're ready yo?"

Vincent nodded. Reno assumed he was like his partner, Rude a first combatant. He took his rod out and quickly jabbed it forward. The gunman side step and with his right hand, the human one, karate chop at the redhead neck. The other brought up the rod to deflect the blow and kicked. The clawed arm latched onto the leg and jerk the Turk's leg up. Reno barely got a hold of himself by standing on his hands. He lashed out with his other leg. Vincent let go to avoid the kick and silently watch the redhead flip himself to his feet. As he rushed forward, the Turk's rod went to strike his chest. He easily grabbed it with his right hand as his claw gently but firmly grabbed the other's neck. "You lose," he stated.

Reno furrowed his brows before a grinning and turning on the rod's electricity. Vincent felt the shock, but stayed as he was. Aquamarine eyes widened as Tseng stated, "That's enough."

The two separated. Before the redhead could say a word, the head smiled. "Well, it looks like he haven't lost your touch as a Turk. And your reputation certainly wasn't exaggerated, Vincent Valentine."

Something inside the Reno's head clicked. "This is _**the**_Vincent Valentine. The perfect marksman who went missing?"

**Wow you're famous now. **Vincent calmly stated, "I am Vincent Valentine, but I shall never claim perfection." **Don't be so modest. You got killer aim... for a human.**

"None the less," Tseng continued, "You are reinstated to the Turks. Good to have you back. Unfortunately, the president doesn't trust you. So, you will be supervised by Reno, here, and his partner while you're at headquarters."

The gunman sighed as he nodded in understanding; Hojo planned this out carefully. He was surprised that there wasn't a single Turk he recognized. Of course he went from mission to mission. He also wasn't one to socialize much. Not to forget the however much time was caught up in experimentation and his forced slumber. All this went through his mind as they traveled from the training grounds to offices. He only hoped the redhead's partner wasn't so...Reno.

Tseng commanded the bald Turk at a desk, "Rude, you will be supervising Valentine."

The head disappeared into his office. Reno sighed as he stands by his partner. "I'm hungry, yo. Let's get some grub."

Rude got up and walked next to Vincent. He was glad that someone was still listening to his prayers up there. Though he knew that the other was observing and sizing him up, he didn't look like it. He followed them to the cafeteria on the 7th floor. He knew that food wasn't a necessity for him, but he was hungry.


	2. Death Discoveries

(I Just fixed this chapter with help of Lady of the Muses, so it now flows better.)

Hi, all. Thanks for the reviews and hits as well as those who put me on their watch list. I was surprise to get a 100 hits in the first week. Honestly the plotline has change a lot since I first posted. I think it is for the better. Hope you all will agree. It will have characters from all the other final fantasy 7 games. I will try to keep them in character, but that will be for future chapters. How far in the future only time will tell. Anyways here are reviewer responses.

Anonymouse 270: I didn't realize I misspelled her name. I will have it correct for now on. Thanks. I will fix the first chapter and repost it some time. I love Sephiroth/Vincent pairings as well.

Amon2: Boy was I surprise to see you as a reviewer since I read a lot of your stories. They are on my watch list. I'll try to update regularly. It should be easy with this story. My Fire Emblem is already being neglected.

Darksaphire: More will come. Until the story is complete, which may be a while.

Lady of the Muses: Thanks for the honest critique. You're making me blush, especially since I am a 'B' student when it comes to English. Let's hope I continue to do well.

Reviews are always appreciated along with honest critiques. Now on to the story.

Chapter 2: Death Discoveries

The cafeteria was crowded and larger than he remembered. It was filled with Soldiers. It suddenly occur to him how much he stood out. He subconsciously hid his claw in his cloak. He wished to blend into the shadows as he felt numerous eyes on him. Reno quickly collected food. The gunman selected his own carefully as Rude selected his usual swiftly as well. "Over here, yo."

The redhead jerked his head toward an empty table. He sat down at the table as the other two silently joined him. "So Valentine, where did ya disappear to when you were missin' in action?"

Rude eyes widened. "This is Vincent Valentine?"

The gunman got a feeling this would be a regular occurrence. He sighed and explained, "Yes I am. I would of thought you would known where I've been since _**he **_works here."

The redhead drew a conclusion quickly as he pronounced disbelievingly, "You were in the coffin we picked up from Shinra Mansion?"

The bald Turk watched the legend expectantly. The red eyed Turk was already tired of human interaction. **Dislike your kind so much already. Guess I can't blame you since your own kind added us to your head. **"Yes, Hojo put me there once he was done with me."

The Turks' eyes widened as they exchange glances. They looked back at the gunman who was just eating with mixed expressions. Reno was the first to break the silence, "so the red eye thing-"

Vincent interrupted, "-a gift from Hojo along with some other things."

Rude elbowed his partner for being inconsiderate when a person approached. "Who's our new friend?" asked a black hair Soldier who was leaning on the redhead.

The Turk playfully pushed back. "Hey there, puppy. How much will ya beg to get the answer?"

The Soldier mussed the Turk's red hair before sitting beside him. "How about I don't hit you with my broad sword in exchange?"

"I yield," the redhead said teasingly. "This is Vincent Valentine of the Turks. Vin, this is Zack Fair otherwise known as puppy."

The gunman's brow twitched at the nickname, but chose not to comment as he nodded his head in acknowledgment. "So," Reno continued, "how's the Firsts?"

"Angeal got his hands full with me as usual, Genesis is on vacation and Sephiroth is, well, Sephiroth," Zack replied.

Crimson eyes snapped up at Sephiroth's name. "Sephiroth," he repeated. Zack looked at him curiously; sensing the tone was one of familiarity or tenderness.

"You know Sephiroth?"

"Wait a sec, that's not possible you disappeared before..." the redhead trailed off.

Rude helpfully supplied, "He's now the general of the Soldiers."

Crimson eyes widened. "How old is he?"

Zack shrugged at the unusual question, "I wouldn't dare ask such a question."

Reno added, "He's about the same age as Angie and Gen. So, he's like 25 or something."

Vincent stood up suddenly causing the three to jump in surprise. "Impossible. I was asleep for over 20 years." he said to himself, but the three heard him anyways.

Rude looked concern. "You probably should sit down."

"I need...some fresh air," the gunman muttered as he left the table. He dropped off the tray and disappeared beyond the door. _Over 20 years lost. More than I could ever imagine possible._

* * *

Sephiroth usually didn't eat in the cafeteria, but he needed a change in pace or more specifically something else to distract his thoughts from the strange whispering voice. Zack always did a fine job at distracting him. As he walked in, he noticed a red cape exit the doors on the opposite side of himself. Rude was following him. His gaze moved over and spotted Reno and Zack. He swiftly grabbed some food and headed over. His sensitive hearing caught parts of their conservation. Zack whispered, "what did he meant by asleep for over 20 years?"

"Er..." the redhead responded, "Turk business, yo."

"Is that so, Reno?" Sephiroth asked coolly.

The redhead visible paled as the General sat down. "Sephiroth," Zack practically squeaked in surprise.

"So, I assume this has to do with the strange man your partner is trailing," he stated rather than asked.

Reno sighed obviously giving up on hiding the information. "That man is the famous Vincent Valentine of the Turks who went missing. Apparently, he didn't realize how long he was within that coffin."

"Coffin!" Zack exclaimed, "why was he-"

"The one," Sephiroth interrupted, "you delivered to Hojo."

"Yep," the redhead responded, "That one."

"Wait," questioned the Soldier, "so does that mean he wasn't missing, but with Hojo the entire time."

"I guess so."

Sephiroth gets up and pulls Reno with him. "I need to talk with him now."

Reno nervously licked his lips. "Right, uh...this way." Zack got up to follow them, but they were already gone.

* * *

Vincent had reached the outside garden of the 7th floor. It looked like a typical park. He quickly jumped and knelt on the wall. He observed how much Midgar had change. It had to be true. _Over 20 years. _**22 years if I'm not mistaken. **Chaos commented now that he was done with his nap. _You knew._** Of course, I've learn to keep track of time 5 millenia ago. **_I see. _**I sense anger. Are you ready to take Hojo down now?** Vincent sighed. His anger was at Chaos for not telling him, but he knew better than to be upset with him. He knew his demons had a tendency to consider him one of them, a demon of sorts. One that has a strong will and semi-strong body. He was beginning to think that was true.

"Vincent!" yelled the normally stoic Turk.

The gunman turned to Rude. He came closer and asked, "are you going to be alright?"

**Heh heh your guard is here. **Ignoring Chaos, he said, "I'm fine. I just needed to see the truth with my own eyes."

Rude nodded and hesitantly put a hand on Vincent's shoulder. The gunman jumped at the touch, but quickly relaxed; still, the other took note of his reaction. The two without saying a word got up to leave. He liked Rude for his silent understanding and not pressing for answers. The sight of red hair halted the two. Reno rushed towards them, but that isn't what shocked the gunman. Silver hair man with a strong resemblance to his mother, Lucrecia. His green eyes were predatory, yet innocent curiosity lingered there as well. Just like when he was a child. "Sephiroth," escaped Vincent's lips.

Catlike green eyes widened in surprise as well as the Turks'. "I don't believe I know you," the General informed, "Mr. Valentine."

Reno's nervous expression screamed 'I told all I know. Hope it won't be the death of me'. **My oh my looked what Reddy brought. The so called child you wanted to protect.** "I prefer to be called Vincent," answered the red eyed man who was trying to ignore Chaos.

The General didn't say anything and his stern expression deepened. "You didn't answer my question."

"Technically you didn't ask a question. But I met you when you were very young."

"Then how did you recognized me?" Sephiroth countered.

Vincent sighed, "In case you haven't notice, your hair is very distinctive." He added under his breath, "Your face resemble your mother."

Before the General could ask about what only his ears heard, a phone rang. Reno shuffled through his pockets before pulling out a phone. He cocked a grin and answered, "Yo, boss...yeah... …right now?...okay yo. I understand. On it, Boss. Bye." To the others redhead said, "We gotta go, yo. Boss has a mission for ya Vince."

Vincent's eyebrow unconsciously twitched at another nickname. _Wasn't one enough._ He followed the redhead who headed in. He was silently grateful for the interruption. He wasn't ready to face what was probably his greatest sin. He failed the child, but he hoped the damage wasn't too irreversible. The gunman felt rather than see the green eyes follow him.

In no time, they reached Tseng's office. The head Turk ordered, "Reno, Rude, you're going to escort Rufus from Costa Del Sol to here."

The redhead asked, "The president's kid. Ya joking, right?"

"I don't joke," the Wutaian sighed, "Now hurry up you two."

"What about Vinny boy?"

"He has a different assignment," the Boss commented.

"Right then. Later, yo." With a mock salute, the redhead was gone along with his partner.

Vincent nodded his goodbye to the departing Turks before setting his attention to Tseng. "This is the mission file," began the head Turk, "I assume it is self explanatory. If not hold 2 on this phone to reach me. This is yours now."

The gunman accepted the phone and placed it next to his gun. He quickly browsed through the folder before nodding his goodbye. It wasn't what he expected, but it did explain why Hojo awakened him. This would be hard to pull off unless you've been enhanced. It was north hidden in the mountains beyond Nibelheim. An area that had snow all year round. He was given a helicopter to get up there.

There were snowstorms, but none strong enough to affect his flight. Vincent cautiously landed the copter a few miles from his destination, so he wouldn't be noticed. The pine forest was thick and the snow deep. He knew that he couldn't feel temperatures like a normal person. He could faintly tell the snow was cold. Normally the walk would be a day or two, but with Chaos's help he could get done in hour tops. _Chaos._ **Lend you my wings? My aren't you a demanding host.**_ Chaos._Vincent rolled his eyes as Chaos chuckled.

He felt the bones shift as black leathery wings tore though his skin. It was a bit painful, but nothing he wasn't expecting. It shifted his cloak awkwardly to the side. With a quick test flap, he began to fly low, keeping underneath the trees. After an hour of flight, he slowed down and paid closer attention to the surroundings. He landed softly in the snow and let the wings disappear with his skin already healed. Through the dark green pines, he could see a slanted roof covered in snow. It was the entrance to the underground base, hence why regular turks couldn't do the mission. He was fairly impressed that they manage to get the information they did. They had part of the laboratory layout. Of course, technology had advanced a lot in 20 years. Still, he wasn't sure if it was capable to discover underground layout without entering.

His crimson eyes spotted the hidden guard who blended into the shadows. Most would have never noticed him. It was going to be tricky to get in without arising suspicion. Vincent climbed up the tree silently and quickly gathered and held pine cones in his clawed hand. With his human hand, he threw one. It hit the tree across from himself and it rustled. The guard was alert now, but not enough to get him to leave his post. With another two throw he made pine cones from the other tree drop harshly against the ground. That did the trick; the guard ran over to investigate.

Vincent leaped down and sprinted to the doorway where he slipped inside unnoticed. He was grateful that this lab didn't seem to require any key cards or codes. He really curious why Hojo was interested in this lab, especially since it couldn't be doing anything too secretive with so little protection. He stalked through the shadows carefully maneuvering down the hall avoiding the staff. At one point he decided the vents would be quicker, especially since the doors had very small windows. It wouldn't allow him to get a good idea of what was in the room. He carefully crawled into the overhead vents. He needed to find a computer, an unoccupied one.

Finally found a lab room that was empty with a computer. He slipped down to the tile floor and walked to the computer. It was already on and someone was logged in, which he appreciated. He wasn't sure he could successfully hack the new computers. After opening a few files and skimming their contents, one caught his eye. Cetra. He knew they were an ancient race, but he thought they were extinct. This report stated otherwise. Professor Gast discovered one and fell in love with her. Their child was Aerith. It clicked into place, Hojo wanted the girl for an experiment. He was sure and could hear Chaos hum in agreement.

Sensitive ears heard the handle turn. The gunman put the computer to sleep and raised himself into the vent before the scientist entered. He pondered about checking the place out more, but decided he knew enough. Hojo needed to be stopped. Sephiroth was more or less safe from further damage. **Finally now we're talking. His blood will be such a pleasing sight. Oh especially his surprise look ****when he realized there is nothing he can do to end his torment. His death will be slow. **Vincent winced at this and only confirmed. _Hojo will be stopped._

In no time the man reached the exit. _This will be hard._ He nudged the door opened just a crack. The guard was there in the shadows. Chaos chuckled. **How about using Death Giga's wind.** Vincent frowned in confusion. **You're not going to transform. Just think of it as Wind Materia and pull it inwards and around. **Red eyes closed in concentration. He suddenly felt light and wispy. He opened his eyes to find himself a red and black mist. He slipped through the door or maybe he should say breezed. The guard just stared as if not comprehending what he was seeing. Vincent swiftly floated past the guard deep into the pine forest. **Looked like you got a hang of it. **The host didn't bother to reply, but continued to use the strange wispy form until he was a good distance away.

Vincent released the winds around him and landed gracefully in the snow. He wandered towards the helicopter. He thought over the information he found on the hard drive. It was actually what he would like scientist and doctors to work on: curing different illnesses and injuries quicker, alternative energy sources. It was a pleasant surprise and reminded him that not all doctors and scientists are evil. Though he didn't plan to try trusting them anytime soon.

Crimson eyes finally noticed the fading sunset. He knew how to maneuver the copter, but he wasn't very confident in doing so at night. He climbed up a nearby tree. He raised up one knee and put his arms around it. He laid his head down using his arms as a pillow. Slowly allowed himself to doze off.

He awakened in a panic. He remembered the scalpel vividly. He anxiously checked his surroundings and remembered that Hojo no longer cut him up. The sky was tinged with a dusky pink hinting the sun would rise soon. He lightly shook his head before jumping down. He could hear Chaos muttering, but wasn't able to make out any words.

With a sigh, Vincent flew the helicopter back to Midgar. He figured he was to report to Tseng. He walked down the hallways trying to ignore the stares. He walked into the Turk office. Reno was leaning back on his chair. Aquamarine eyes stared at his own. "Yo, you're back already?"

The reinstated Turk just nodded as he turned the knob on the head's office door. He could hear the redhead's chair clank against the floor. "Wait, wasn't you on the lab mission?"

Red eyes glided over to the Turk as he nodded once again and entered the office. Tseng looked up. His chocolate eyes widen fractionally before responding, "You finished the mission?" Vincent nodded. "Go ahead and report to Hojo. I won't need paperwork for that."

Vincent's lips tugged upwards though his cloak hid it. He was glad for that. He left the office and almost walked straight into a redhead. "Reporting to Hojo?" He nodded with a sigh. "We'll be down in the cafeteria. Meet us there after."

With yet another nod, Vincent headed down to Hojo's labs. He was nervous, especially after all the nightmares or should he say memories. **He is going to die today, right? **_...Yes. _He paused in front of the laboratory door and took a deep breath to calm himself before entering.

* * *

Sephiroth noticed Vincent's signature red cloak heading towards Hojo's lab. He quickly walked down the hall and peered around the corner. There was Vincent Valentine hovering in front of the door. He noticed the golden claw. He wondered why he didn't notice it before. That train of thought stopped when the gunman suddenly walked in. The swordsman quietly went over to the door and opened it a tad in order to observe.

* * *

Vincent spotted Hojo and headed over. The scientist turned around with a grin. "I knew that mission was a one day job. They really need to allow me to give the Turks mako." Crimson eyes glowered. "What Valentine, you're still upset after all these years." He chuckled darkly. "Myself I mostly forgotten. I was lucky to remember that I still had you locked up in the manor. Report what's in that laboratory."

The gunman frowned. "It's Doctors Gast's laboratory, but I bet you already know that. They are doing studies on alternative energy resources. Alternative medical treatments without the use of mako." He could see the irritation flicker across the other's face. Chaos on the other hand was suggesting different deaths for the man, which was thoroughly ignored by Vincent. "Gast, also, had a bit on Cetras. Mostly on their culture, which was given to him from Ifalna, a Cetra. He is married to her and have a 15 year old girl named Aerith."

"Where are they?" The madman was now very excited that it reached the subject he wished to discuss.

A smirk tugged on Vincent's lips. "Now why in the world would I tell you? You would experiment on her. Do you really think I would consciously allow you to do so? I know first hand what you do, Hojo."

The scientist was annoyed, but patiently commanded, "You will obey, Valentine, unless you want harm to come to Sephiroth."

"You already did your damage," the Turk retorted, "You thought I wouldn't figure out how many years have past? That the child I knew is now an adult? I thought you were better than that. I guess you're rusty in your old age."

Hojo's face contorted in pure fury He already had a needle with some strange purple liquid inside. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

Crimson eyes glared as he stated firmly, "I will not allow you to cause further harm."

Hojo sprinted forward attempting to jab the tranquilizer into Vincent. The crimson eyes became golden as he allowed the demon to take control. Chaos leaped back and shifted forms. The Turk's bones shifted, skin darken, and horns and claws grew. His height stretched an extra foot. Chaos chuckled darkly. "Missed me, Hojo."

The madman's eyes widen and the needle dropped from his hand. "Vincent let you out?"

"You thought he never learn to talk with us demons you bestowed upon him?"

His left claw struck through the scientist's shoulder. The man was raised up to the demon's eye level. "Y-you don't want to kill me," Hojo begged, "Vincent, I put them in. I can take them out. So, let's talk."

Hojo attempt to keep his face neutral as he lied, but it twitched. "He's not going to listen to you," Chaos snarled. Vincent sighed. _Chaos make sure you only use your claws. Your claws are very similar to the beasts he keeps here. _Chaos grinned wickedly. **Making sure no one thinks it's you and draw what would appear to be a logical conclusion. Never cease to amaze me, host. Even in revenge.** "I'm going to make you regret putting us on the operation table and doing your so called experiments," the demon informed the pinned man, "Maybe I should see how your heart looks, if you even have one human."

Chaos's right claw began to slice deeply through the scientist's shirt and skin while the left held him up. _Chaos! Just kill him quickly. If you calculate his death it won't look like those creatures kill him. _The demon growled as his claws flexed deeper into Hojo making him scream in pain. "You're lucky that my host wishes to end this quickly."

Chaos tore his right claw out of the man and slashed the madman's throat almost decapitating him. He let the body drop off his claw with a sickening thud. With the man dealt with, he stalks to the cages. He carefully tore the metal cages enough to let the beasts out. The demon also made sure the wire was facing outwards, so it would appear the monsters did it. He did the same with two other cages that held the same species. "Happy now, host?" he asked grumpily. _Yes. Thank you Chaos. You did get your revenge on him. _Vincent gently coax the demon's blood lust. "Want your body back?" _Yes, if you don't mind. _"Just try," the demon grumbled, "to let me out more often." Vincent sighed. _I'll try. _With that assurance, his bones forced their way back into his human form.

The Turk adjusted his cloak now that he was back in his body. His red eyes glanced at the remains. A whisper escaped, "I hope you'll forgive me for killing your husband, Lucrecia." **Stop apologizing and get going already. **His eyes darted from the body to the beast finally braving their way out of the cages. He sighed as he turned to leave.

* * *

Green eyes were glued to the scene that played before him. He was surprised by the events. He never would of thought it was possible for more than one entity to share a body, let alone completely transform one's appearance. It was fascinating in a sickening way. He could hear the bones move and snap. At the same time he was still stunned by the earlier conservation. It lingered in his mind that he was used as an Achilles's heel against someone and it worked. Vincent felt obligated to protect him, which was strange. He never had a family. He was raised in lab as an experiment. Only one doctor shown anything more than that was Gast, who Hojo obvious didn't like. He had to leave due to Hojo. The madman wasn't pleased that his experiment was treated as a human child. Hojo still wanted to get at Gast, otherwise why would he get Valentine to investigate?

The scientist's anguish scream drew Sephiroth out of his inner musings. He heard the demon, Chaos, mention his host wanted to end things. He couldn't help but to wonder why. Hojo definitely didn't deserve a swift end. It then occur to him that Valentine would be the first suspect, especially since he just arrived and the higher ups knew the Turk was experimented upon by Hojo. The demon set up the scenario for Hojo's death. It was definitely well thought out. He heard the bones shift and saw the demon was now a man again. The red eyes seemed to hold sadness instead of victory. A soft whisper escaped the gunman; one that even he had to strain to hear.

"I hope you'll forgive me for killing your husband, Lucrecia."

Sephiroth didn't realize the scientist was married. He briefly pondered who in their right mind would marry such a man and how Valentine was involved in all this. Maybe the Turk was Lucrecia's brother. His voice definitely held love for the woman. The Turk's movements stopped further thoughts. He quickly hid away and watch him leave to the upper floors.

The swordsman walked into the lab looking at the beast who decided to tear up Hojo's body. A cruel smile touched his lips. It was fitting for the madman's body to be eaten by his own experiments. Green eyes spotted an object out of place for the Turk's setup. The purple liquid on the floor under the table. It was still trapped within the syringe. The swordsman picked it up and tuck it into his coat. _Who knows, it could be very useful._


	3. Questions

Anne: Hi all. Once again thank you for the favs, alerts, and reviews. It is greatly appreciated. I know it is the Valentine Season, but in the story it is August Year 2000 (or 0000 depending on the source). It looks like my updates is a chapter every 14 days. I'll try to keep up the pattern. This chapter will have two OC characters; would like opinions on them. Or should I say one (you should know which I mean when you read.).

Review Responses:

Lady of Muses: Once again thanks for all you're help. A Pm of this chapter's errors will be appreciated.

Minoki: Glad you found my story. Hope it lives to expectations.

Amon2: heh read and see. It is work in progress between them two since this is going to be a long story.

Lilia: ^ ^ another Chaos fan. He is so much fun.

Yuien: Hojo is always a bastard. Sephiroth will find out in this chapter funny enough.

Thunderstorm101: Yeah, Hojo isn't worth keeping around for long periods of time. I find it depressing how easy it is for me to get in character with him. I'm soo messed up. Anywho set up is good, but the President of Shinra...well you'll see.

Chapter 3: Questions

Vincent rejoin the Turks in the cafeteria. The day went by quickly and rather uneventful, which he appreciated since Hojo's demise had cause some stress to his mind. He wondered if he framed it right and how great of a sin it would be. It would be a sin to let the man live, but he was Lucrecia's husband. Then there was Chaos who was only half satisfied with that man's death. The demon wanted out and the gunman didn't mind, but he didn't want anyone to see or know about the demon. He was in a bind.

It became time to retire. He discovered that he would sleep in the Turk rooms of Shinra's building. He would be between Reno's and Rude's room for surveillance reasons. The room was nice and plain. It was similar to a room he had in his early Turk days. It had a wooden desk, dresser, nightstand, a small closet and bathroom. Of course, a twin size bed was near a small window: too small to crawl through, once again for security reasons.

He vaguely remembered the redhead mentioning they had gotten some clothes for him. Opening the dresser, he found some nice simple clothes. Rude must of picked them out because Reno would of gotten something bright and colorful. The gunman slipped out of his current attire and into a simple black button up shirt and black sweats. He was careful to make sure his gauntlet to not rip any of the new clothes. He laid upon the bed musing if he could request different color sheets. White reminded him too much of the labs. With a sigh he pushed those thoughts out of his mind and thought about Sephiroth. He must have gone through a lot with Hojo. Vincent felt he must help the boy in anyway he could. He just wasn't sure how much to tell him and how soon. _I guess I'll just have to get to know him and work from there. _**We don't have to be involved with your lover's son. Hojo's gone. He should be fine now. **The host sighed. _What's the problem now? _**You know he has **_**his**_** blood as well as your precious Lucrecia's. **He didn't feel up to arguing with Chaos tonight. _Good night._ He thought firmly. **Fine, but this conservation isn't over. **Red eyes closed as he let sleep over take him.

* * *

Sephiroth spent his evening on his laptop digging up anything he could find on Valentine. He started with his Turk record. It described him as unsocial, cold, quiet, and to the point. He was agile and precise. His shooting skills made him legendary. He never failed an assignment. That is until he went missing doing a simple bodyguard mission. He was of course listed now as reinstated, but it kept the information of him being missing in action for over 20 years. It surprised him that he was to guard a scientist named Lucrecia Crescent. Obviously; his previous conclusion was wrong. The question remained why did Valentine care for the woman. He knew Turk's don't assign them to any missions that could be of personal interest. They were strict about such things. The only conclusion for a cold quiet man who isn't know for being sociable to act in such a way was love. He was in love with her.

The swordsman did a quick side search on Lucrecia, which brought up her earlier workings with Grimore Valentine, father of Vincent Valentine. There was a lab accident that resulted in Grimore's death. It also mention her working on the Jenova Project with Hojo. Jenova...he would have to look that up later.

Sephiroth went back to Valentine and search through Hojo's personal records, which brought up the Chaos Project. It was quite large. He decided to print out the reports and watch the videos later. He didn't plan to stay up all night on this project though it did intrigue him. He had plenty of time, so no need to rush. This definitely would keep him occupied.

He could hear whispers of someone anxiously trying to get his attention, but never loud enough to understand. Whenever he was near the gunman they stopped whispering. Why they stopped he didn't know. _I guess I'll find out soon enough._

* * *

It seemed that his mornings were always going to be stressful despite Hojo's death. Another memory of the past when he first change forms: the lost of control and the voices. Vincent shivered as he swiftly change into his usual attire. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the other clothes. It just these ones worked with his metal arm better.

He walked out of his room and turned to Rude's door. Something told him Reno would still be asleep. Lightly the gunman rapped the door with his claw. He could hear the heavy footsteps to the door. The bald Turk open the door and moved to the side to welcome him in. Vincent glided in and heard a murmur from the other, "Have a seat."

That was the only sign he had that the Turk was still half asleep despite being dressed perfectly to code. Vincent took a seat as instructed and watched the other bring coffee and toast to the table. He felt bad for intruding. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I didn't realize it was too early."

Rude stared a moment before shrugging with a more coherent response, "It doesn't matter."

With a suppress sigh, the gunman went over his thoughts. He left the room because he didn't want to muse too much on Shinra's response to Hojo's demise. There wasn't any books to read in the room and he was sure they wouldn't appreciate him wandering the hallways. So, he came here to avoid the haunting memories. Not to mention the current issues besides Hojo's death. Chaos needed some freedom and he needed to deal with Sephiroth. The demon though protested any thoughts on the matter. A small noise of a plate being nudged towards him stopped his thoughts. He glanced at the plate that had toast. He faintly heard the dark skin Turk ask, "Want some?"

"Thank you," escaped quietly from the pale man's lips. He mechanically began to eat. A minute later, the door slammed open with a "Yo" from the arriving redhead. He sat down on the chair, if one called leaning across sitting. "Where's mine?"

A smile tugged at his partner's lips as he pointed towards the kitchen counter. Reno's smirk dropped, "Ya ain't going to get it for me?" The other just rolled his eyes. "Fine," Reno sniffed, "I see how you treat guests yo." He stalked into the kitchen taking a large helping of toast and jam before lounging in the chair again.

Breakfast concluded swiftly and in no time they entered the Turk offices where Tseng was awaiting. His expression was stern; Vincent knew what was coming next. "Vincent," the head Turk stated as two men walked out of Tseng's office, "They would like to talk with you."

That wasn't what the gunman expected. The Turks were in charge of investigations even when it involved other Turks. At least it was that way in his day. Now, a soldier and doctor stood before him. He could feel his insides twist at the sight of the white coat though his face stayed void of emotion. "This way, Mr. Valentine," the doctor directed.

The pale man followed them out though he could hear Reno harassing his boss for answers. Down the hall they went and stopped at the Turk interrogation rooms. The Soldier held the door for him, the suspect. Suppressing a sigh, the reinstated Turk took a seat in the far chair. Any Turk would recognize the setup. Two chairs set across one another with a table in between. He patiently awaited for them to break the silence. The doctor placed himself in the other chair, while the soldier stood by the closed door. "I am Doctor Renault and this here is first class soldier Kraden Hues. We have some questions for you."

Vincent resisted the urge to roll his eyes and just nodded firmly. Renault continued, "Yesterday, you came back from your mission and reported to Doctor Hojo, correct?" He nodded again. "When did you leave?"

Vincent knew that Hojo died around 12:15 pm and he rejoin the Turks around 12:25 pm. He responded, "around 12:10. May I ask why I am being interrogated?"

The soldier frowned, while the other answered, "Hojo is dead and you are the last to have contact with him since he died 12:17. Did anyone witness you leave?"

"Just Hojo as far as I know."

"You didn't like Hojo," interjected Kraden.

"Few do," he replied cryptically. He was going say no one does, but Lucrecia popped into his mind.

Renault seemed to pondering when he asked, "Could you put your hands on the table?"

Vincent mentally winced, but did as requested. His glove hand came up first then his golden gauntlet clicked against the table as it was set down. The soldier's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. The other seem complacent and moved on, "Does it come off?"

"Not that I know of," he replied stiffly.

Kraden exclaimed, "That looks like a claw he could of-"

The doctor silenced him with a single raised hand. "We'll need to make a mold of that." Vincent nodded when the door suddenly opened. He was sure the soldier locked it. Everyone stared in surprise at the unexpected guest, Sephiroth. His face seemed to be his usual stern general, except his eyes seem to have a strange glimmer.

"I had heard you were questioning Mr. Valentine. I came to testify I saw him leave Hojo's laboratory at 12:12 yesterday."

Renault questioned, "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay," the doctor continued, "I still need to take a mold of his arm just in case."

Green eyes slid from the doctor to the golden claw. He nodded once. Somehow Sephiroth took the other soldier's place and came along to get the gunman's arm molded.

The doctor lead them to the 4th floor to his office. He tapped on a chair hinting for the man to sit. Vincent complied and watched the other gather up supplies. Within ten minutes they had his arm molded to Renault's satisfaction. The gunman was glad it was over with. He was tired of those green eyes studying him. As he was leaving, he realize Sephiroth was following. He stopped and faced the general. Red eyes met the analyzing green ones. Vincent questioned, "did you want something?"

He couldn't understand the other's actions. _There was no way I left at 12:12. So, he either is trying to cover me or blackmail me. If he did see then why is he covering me? And how much did he see? It was probably just the aftermath. But why? _Sephiroth's lips turned up into a smirk. "Yes, but we can talk later. For now rejoin your Turks."

With a slight nod, Vincent quickly left the over sterile environment and the staring mako green eyes. He felt like his secrets were laid out to be read. **Your letting him order you around!** Suppressing a sigh, the gunman pressed the 7th button of the elevator. _Let's just call it a mutual favor that buys us time._

* * *

Sephiroth watched the elevator doors closed before walking back into Renault's office. He observed the doctor studying the mold. "Do you think it can come off?"

The man didn't bother to glance at him as he commented, "By it's weight, I would say yes. By design, I'm not so sure. If it does, my brother sure didn't want it to unless absolutely necessary."

Sephiroth couldn't help, but to smile. He remembered when he first heard Renault was Hojo's brother. He wouldn't trust the man and was overly cautious. Now that he knew him, it was hard to believe they were related in any way, shape, or form. The man may not be the genius Hojo was, but he was definitely several ranks higher than the other doctors. He could figure out Hojo's creations. The swordsman was sure of it. Sephiroth commanded, "Keep me posted."

He was about to leave when Renault asked, "Interested in Valentine? Is it because he is an experiment of Hojo's? Or is it something else?"

A smile touched the general's lips as he subtly avoided the question. "Observant as usual, dear Uncle."

"Just like I noticed Valentine was nervous to be around a doctor. Of course who wouldn't be after being Hojo's pet project for a year or two. Which reminds me if you have access to Hojo's files, can I take a look?"

Sephiroth stiffened slightly. As he asked, "Feel the need to fix Hojo's damage?"

"Sometimes, I wonder which of us is more observant." The doctor sighed as he rubbed his thumb against the mold. Dark eyes trying to understand the mechanics.

"I'll show you them in portions. You really shouldn't look at everything. It will overwhelm a good doctor such as yourself," the general informed.

Renault turned suddenly to face the swordsman. His blackish eyes concentrated the other's green ones. "Can I ask you something?"

"Technically, you already have." Sephiroth smirked as he continued, "So ask."

"Did you kill Hojo? Or did Valentine kill him?"

"I believe the beasts did," he answered honestly. _After all a demon is a beast._

"I see," replied the other. His eyes turned back to the project before him. "I'll keep you updated, Sephiroth."

The swordsman hesitated before asking, "...Was Hojo married?"

The doctor turned to the man in surprise. Sephiroth hardly ever asked anything about his father. Not that he could really blame him. Hojo never really treated the boy as his son; the only mercy Hojo had for him was not testing his healing abilities or amounts of strange liquids to inject into him. Renault was sure the scientist tested these things on other subjects, so his son could be the perfect experiment with little to no testing. _Maybe Sephiroth actually wants to know about his mother? I don't know who is his mother_. "Once," he responded belatedly, "He didn't really announce it or say who he was going to marry."

"I see." That ended the conservation with the general leaving the doctor to ponder.

* * *

Vincent reached the cafeteria. The whispers were worse than usual with Hojo's death. People already heard about him being questioned. He blocked out the chatter and gather a small, but sufficient meal. His crimson eyes spotted Reno and Rude. They were sitting with Zack and some blonde dressed in an expensive white suit. He cautiously sat down between the Turks. The redhead smirked as he teasingly asked, "So they released you from 20 questions, eh?"

"It wasn't 20," the gunman stated with a hint of a smirk.

The other chuckled as he stated, "And they say you don't have a sense of humor."

"So," the blonde drawled, "This is the man that the Turks admire so much."

Vincent sternly watched the boy. He seemed familiar, but he wasn't sure why or how. The boy was obviously born during his long sleep. He asked stiffly, "and you are?"

"My apologizes, I forget you've been out of touch. I'm Rufus Shinra." He held out his hand to Vincnet who just looked at it strangely.

Reno leans over and whispered, "Don't ya know you're suppose to shake it?"

The gunman blinked before doing so hesitantly. It wasn't that he didn't know about handshakes; it was the fact the boy was the president's son. The president never seemed to like him for some reason. He couldn't help feeling uneasy with the boy. He slowly commented, "I didn't realize Seneca got married."

"Funny enough," Reno interjected, "That was right after your disappearance."

"Though she died from child birth," Rufus added, "I didn't think anyone would dare call my father by his name." His blue eyes watched the red ones with interest.

"He never did like me much," Vincent replied nonchalant, "And I didn't care either way."

The boy seemed to absorb this information with a smile, while Zack seemed stiff. He was like a puppy not wanting to make the wrong move and be punished. His expression though suddenly brighten as he yelled, "Angie, Seph, over here!"

The gunman watched Sephiroth and another first class Soldier sit down. The black hair Soldier sat by Zack who looked thoroughly pleased. He quickly said hellos to everyone. To Rufus he commented, "I see Mr. Shinra let you come back."

With an indignant snort, "School was easy. Since I graduated with honors, he had no choice."

The Soldier nodded before turning his attentions to the gunman. "You must be Vincent Valentine of the Turks. It's nice to meet you. I'm Angeal." He held out his left hand, which meant he was suppose to shake with his left. He bit his bottom lip thinking. They already molded his claw. Coming to a decision, he carefully shook the others hand with his golden gauntlet. Angeal looked surprised along with the rest of the table. The Turks knew about it, but it tend to slip their mind since Vincent hid it all the time. Sephiroth was the only one who didn't seem surprised, just deep in thought.

Rufus muttered, "So that's why you were a suspect."

The gunman just shrugged as he slide his arm back under his cloak and continued to eat. Zack's curiosity finally got the better of him as well as a need to end the uncomfortable silence. "Does it hurt?"

"No," the gunman responded. His brows furrow in thought. It never had hurt now that he thought of it. Maybe at that time he didn't care or was it the fact that he was unconscious for that portion of the experiment? He wasn't sure. He never really thought about it. It only caused him emotional pain and readjustment from using his left hand to his right.

"Can I touch it?"

Vincent rolled his eyes. He knew he could refuse, but then the boy would pester him about it. He was sure about it from the conservations he had heard about the young Soldier. He brought the claw back up onto the table. He warned the boy, "It's sharp."

Zack carefully touched the metal with his fingers. A smile was plain to see on his face. Rufus and Reno join in, while Vincent leaned his head against his right hand. He just watch the others study his arm in fascination. It was interesting piece when it wasn't attach to you 24/7. Sephiroth's gloved hand traced the metal fingers and points. That made his crimson eyes focus on the general. His green eyes were solely focus on the man's arm with a small smile pulling at the general's lips. Vincent was beginning to feel uncomfortable with all the attentions on his arm. He gently pulled away his arm from the others. Rufus used the moment to dismiss himself. "It was a pleasure to see you all, but business calls."

Soldiers and Turks were finished with their meal as well and left in their groups. Vincent was surprised that Sephiroth didn't make an effort to talk with him, but it just meant more time to figure things out.

The rest of the day went by swiftly and the gunman retired for the night. He awoke when he heard the door unlock. He grabbed his trusted gun, Quicksilver, and pointed it at the door. The door opened to reveal silver hair and glowing green eyes. _What the...? _"Sephiroth," his voice dryly asked, "What are you doing here?"

The general chuckled, "I told you we'll talk later." With a sigh, Vincent set the gun back on the nightstand and sat up against the bed frame. Crimson eyes watched the other quickly analyzing the room before seating himself on the bed. He wished he was in his usual attire rather than the button up shirt and sweatpants. He felt rather exposed without the cloak covering his face. He kept his face devoid of emotion and awaited for the general to begin. "I saw you kill Hojo."

Vincent didn't respond pondering whether that meant the entire thing or just the aftermath. Sephiroth frowned as he try to encourage a response, "You became a demon."

The gunman could hear Chaos growling. "I see," he said flatly, "and you're telling me this because?"

Green eyes studied him. "I was curious about it. I hear it is called Chaos."

"Yes that is _his _name," the Turk responded ignoring the demon's angry chatter.

"Are you separate beings or is it a case of multiple personalities?" A smile found it's way back onto the general's face.

Vincent winced trying to keep the demon in control. **Let me show him what I am.** _No! Be patient, he doesn't know. _**He should. **"He is separate from me," he replied tiredly, "and he doesn't like the implications of your statement."

Sephiroth's curiosity was piqued. "So he is talking with you right now and can hear everything that I say?"

"Yes," the gunman said exasperatedly.

"There are more than one demon isn't there? After all, Chaos did say 'demons'."

**Stupid observant brat! **"Four," he informed since there was really no point in lying about it, "three weaker beasts and Chaos who is a sentient being."

"Interesting," the swordsman commented despite already knowing about them from his earlier readings on the Turk. He wanted to double check since he didn't completely trust Hojo's reports. Not to mention, he wanted to see how much the man would talk.

The gunman was truly interesting with his demons and experiences with the madman. He found out the man was a favorite test subject of Hojo. If the scientist wasn't sure about anything, he would try it on Valentine first. He wasn't sure if it was because the madman hated Valentine or if it was the Turk's resilience to the procedures the scientist constantly put him through. Hojo had a tendency to kill off his test subjects on a regular basis. Either way, the pale man before him was fascinating to observe. He had an ethereal beauty to him and a strange grace. Not to forget the fact that the voices stopped whispering when the general was near Valentine.

They had a connection of sorts. The general knew that Hojo would use the gunman to test mako dosages and such before giving it to himself. In a sense, he was spared from a worse life as a test subject and became a precious experiment. On the other side, the Turk knew who Sephiroth's mother was. This led the swordsman to ask, "Earlier, when we first met, you mention that I looked like my mother. Who is she?"

Vincent's demeanor change from cautious and stiff to sad and regretful. "Lucrecia... Lucrecia Crescent was your mother. She passed away shortly after giving birth to you." He vividly remembered the day Hojo informed him from Lucrecia's passing. He wanted to know more, but the scientist wouldn't say anything more than it was the Turk's fault that she died.

The general had a feeling that would be the answer, but it didn't sit well with him. The idea that both of his parents were scientists was not comforting. He would have to do more research on her. Vincent's low voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you upset with his death?"

Sephiroth's green eyes widen as he stare at the other in stunned silence. Within a few seconds, he stammered, "Wha... w-why would I be? The man may have been my father, but I had planned to kill him myself." The gunman watched in slight amusement as the swordsman continued to babble. "Of course, I am slightly disappointed that I didn't get to do it myself. None the less, he is out of the way, so I don't have to worry about him messing with my Soldiers."

A smile touched the gunman's lips. _He cares for his Soldiers. _**He just wants an able army instead of a dead one. **_ You always doubt him. _**He is too interested in us. I don't like that. **Sephiroth frowned slightly at his slip of tongue. _See, he was caught of guard. _**Hmph.** "I better let you get some rest," commented the swordsman who got off the bed and was now at the door. "Goodnight...Vincent."

With that he closed the door behind him. Vincent swiftly locked the door and collapsed back onto the bed. He shifted trying to let sleep overtake him.


	4. Soldiers and Ships

A/N: Hi all, sorry I was a little slow with this chapter. I'm trying to get events I plan to connect together logically as well as develop character relationships and such. I was hoping to get suggestions on Genesis. I know when I'll introduce him (which will be in a four or so chapters), but I don't know how to have him react to Vincent and such. So, suggestion would be wonderful. Thanks.

Amon2: Yeah, Vincent and Sephiroth will be stuck with each other for the most part now. Genesis will come in later as I mention above. I just not sure how he should react to things. I only know him from fanfictions I read and some Youtube videos showing Crisis Core cut scenes.

Chapter 4: Soldiers and Ships

Vincent awaken at dawn once again. To his surprise, many Soldiers were up and running errands in Turk hallways. Curiously he headed to the Turk offices. There was chaos quite literally. Soldiers trying to get things and Turks trying to fulfill the requests. The gunman quickly spotted Tseng and headed over. "Need assistance?"

The head glanced over at him as he commanded, "Help with supply orders. They are in the same location."

The pale man nodded as he went to the nearest Soldier. He knew he didn't fit the Turk appearances , so he would have to initiate the job. "Soldier," he asked flatly, "What is it you need?"

The blonde hair boy jumped in surprise. "Er," he hesitantly responded, "Supplies, sir. But I was told to get them from the Turks..."

"That I am. Come."

The boy followed, but was obviously nervous. "So," he broke the silence, "You're a Turk...Everyone thought you were an honor guest or... a prisoner..."

Red eyes slid to meet sky blue ones. "They watch me to be sure that I'm...obedient." To try to lighten the young Soldier's nerves he asked, "What's your name?"

"Cloud, sir."

"Vincent. Not sir, Cloud."

"Right si-er Vincent."

A small smile tugged at his lips as he lead the boy one floor down to the storage rooms. "The list," he requested. The blonde handed it over. His crimson eyes skimmed through the list. "This is a lot to carry... I'll help. We'll both take carts."

The elder grabbed some boxes and put them on the cart after giving the list back to the young Soldier. Cloud began to gather supplies from the beginning of the list since the other was collecting supplies listed at end of list. In no time, the carts were filled. The gunman asked, "Where to?"

"Barricades."

Vincent let Cloud lead the way out of the building. He knew the general area, but it could of change over the years. When they exited the back entrance, he was amazed with how much had change. He should of known since there were many more Soldiers then in his day, but it was still immense. There were many barricades and training areas. His crimson eyes wander as he followed the blonde to the far right barricade. Black hair Soldier was counting things and suddenly turned. "Got the supplies, Cloud?" He had a lopsided smile as his purple eyes glance at the boy's companion. He yelped, "Vincent?!"

"Hello Zack," he replied with amusement laced into his voice.

"I-I," he stammered, "Wasn't expecting you."

"That much was obvious with your previous outburst," he stated as he began to unload the carts. It was quite amusing to watch the Soldier fluster. He figured it was revenge for bringing so much attention to his left arm earlier.

Cloud laughed as Zack just shook his head in disbelief. "And here," the elder Soldier stated, "I thought you were a stiff."

A single remark triggered in the Turk's head. He supposed it was because of all the jokes Reno made about it. "Never as stiff as your hair."

A loud laughed escaped the black hair boy's lips. "You've been hanging out with Reno too long. At least it's loosened you up."

The boy had a point. The strongest stress factors had been erased with Hojo's death, Sephiroth as an alibi, and people treating him almost like a normal human being. It didn't mean things weren't plaguing his mind, but things were much better than he had hoped. He could live in this strange time. "Maybe," he replied cryptically. "Next time you better help the boy or give him a smaller list."

With that he left the two Soldiers and went back into the Shinra building. He spotted Reno and Rude helping the other Turks when he walked into the offices. Tseng lightly signaled with his head for the gunman to come over. The pale man walked into the Head's office and slid the door closed. He asked, "Something you wish to discuss?"

"It isn't a matter for discussing," the Head Turk responded, "You will be leaving tomorrow to Wutai with the troops. They need a Turk who knows the area."

"I'm not Wutain," the gunman stated flatly.

A smile slipped onto Tseng's face as he confirmed, "No, but you are part Wutain and took frequent trips there for both business and leisure." He watched the corners of the other's lips slip downward in a frown. "Here's the file. I am not the one who made the decision."

"I understand," Vincent stated.

As his gloved hand touched the folder the Turk added, "They determine Hojo's death to be a lab accident since they said your...claw was much too small for the damage in there." **About time they determined that, **Chaos grumbled. The gunman took the folder with a nod of acknowledgment and swiftly exited the office. He paused in front of the two Turks who were to supervise him.

"Yo," the redhead stated with a smile, "I heard you were helping the Soldiers gather supplies."

"That is so," he confirmed.

Before the pale man could say more Reno swiftly asked, "Another mission? You're going off with the troops aren't ya?"

With a slight nod the gunman stated, "I will be in my room."

Rude nodded and Vincent left quickly before the redhead could babble a response. In the room, he sat down at the desk reading the filed. There were terrorist activities in the Shinra bases of Wutai. There weren't any when he was alive and Wutai isn't the type to allow Shinra on their lands. It mentioned a bit about a war. The gunman didn't realize how much time had past until he heard the door unlock. Out of habit, he faced the door with Quicksilver in hand.

"Yo," Reno announced. His aquamarine eyes flickered to the gun, "You're expecting trouble?"

With a sigh he stated, "Trouble can be anywhere and at anytime. It's Turk policy to be prepared. You should remember that."

"I am prepared," the redhead grumbled, "Anyway I thought you may like some grub."

Red eyes blinked as he realized he hadn't eaten anything today. He stood up and followed the Turk next door. He asked with a single brow arched, "Rude cooked?"

"Yeah," the other replied, "He makes the best shit." After realizing the implication of the statement he quickly reassured, "Not that his food taste like shit."

"You take turns?"

"Yeah, but when it's my turn I order. Cause I can't cook." The redhead pulled a card out of his jacket and swiped it through the reader. Once inside he yelled, "Yo, I brought Vinny! The food is ready, right?"

"Yes, Reno," replied Rude, "Help me get the food to the table. "

The Turk disappeared into the kitchen with the pale man following. He noticed the table wasn't set up, so he grabbed the plates and silverware off the counter. The table was quickly set up with utensils and food. The dark man murmured, "Thank you," as he sat down.

Vincent shrugged it off and stated, "It's only proper since you cooked."

They began to eat the mini feast before them. It consist of potatoes, chicken, corn on cob, and rolls. As he ate, he couldn't help but to agree with the redhead. Rude made a very good meal. Reno asked, "Your mission is taking you to Wutari with the troops, right?"

The gunman only nodded. "It isn't normal for a Turk to participate," stated the bald man, "directly with Soldiers."

This created an awkward silence. All including Vincent knew he wasn't a 'normal' Turk. He wasn't very much so before the experiments and now even less. **Normal is overrated anyways. You have to admit life is much more entertaining with me around.** _Believe what you wish, Chaos._** Are you saying I'm not fun. I thought you didn't hate me anymore. **The demon made an annoyingly fake sobbing sound. The gunman mentally rolled his eyes. _I don't hate you, but you are being more annoying then Reno. _**I'll take that as a compliment.** Before Vincent could reply to Chaos, the redhead nervously broke the silence. "I heard Sephiroth specifically asked for you to be on this mission." Chaos was growling, but the man ignored him. His crimson eyes focused on the redhead as he continued, "You'll get to be with him, Zack, and Angeal. So, you'll get to know them better." Suddenly the boy thought of something. "Hey, you have the phone Tseng gave you right? It should have our number in the phone book."

The gunman frowned as he stated, "I didn't get a phone book with the phone."

Rude blinks in surprise as Reno asked, "You don't know how to work a cell phone?"

The pale man pulled out the object of question and asked, "Is that what it's called?"

The redhead leans over and snatched the phone. It made little beeps as he rapidly press buttons. "Yep," he announced, "Our numbers are here." He moved his chair closer to Vincent, "I'll teach you how to use it." With a small twitch at the other's invasion of his space, the gunman watched and listened. The redhead press buttons making the screen do things. "Then," he continued explaining, "You can change the wallpaper and ring tones."

A frown could be seen on the gunman's face. Rude decided to cut in, "How about you stick with the phone book?" The raven hair man gave him a small smile as his partner sighed. "Reno, show him the phone book again and do so slower."

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead mumbled as he began to show the gunman in a slower pace. After the explanation, Vincent showed he could use the phone book. Reno smirked and announced, "Now that wasn't so hard."

The gunman glowered slightly as he commented, "Says the boy who was raised to press impractical small buttons."

Rude chuckled while the redhead looked indignant. "I'm not a kid," he stated angrily.

"So you tell us," Rude replied, "Yet I've been assign to babysit you."

Vincent let a small smile slip onto his lips. "I'm going to retire now since I leave early with the troops."

"Don't envy ya with the wakin' up early," Reno stated since he was ignoring his partner's comment, "But feel free to call to call us. Just not at the crack of dawn okay?"

The pale man nodded and left back to his room where he rereads the reports. He had a lot of thoughts in his mind about Sephiroth, Wutari, and these terrorist activities. The terrorist actions just didn't add up right. **SEPHIROTH's actions doesn't add up right! **The demon bellowed in his mind making the gunman winced. _Chaos, it is practical to have me come since I do have the Turk's skills as well as Soldier's strength and endurance. He knows that much. _**It sounds to me that you are trying to convince yourself that is the truth. **Vincent instead of responding, he laid on the bed praying for the dreams to be peaceful.

Vincent awaken early for once not quite remembering what he was dreaming about, though he knew it wasn't pleasant. He was grateful that the ship leaves for Wutai early. Quickly he packed a briefcase the Turks provided for him of some clothes and extra guns and ammunition. He left the room and hurried out of the building. He walked to the docks that was filled with assortment of Soldiers carrying supplies and such. All he knew was that he would be on a ship to Wutai. The problem lied in the fact that there were three ships going to Wutai. He frowned as he debated if it matter which ship he took.

That was when a certain black hair Soldier spotted the gunman and yelled, "Vincent!"

The pale man turned to the younger who raced towards him. As usual a grin was plastered on Zack's face. "You're going to be on my ship. Come on."

The Soldier eagerly led the gunman aboard the largest of the three ship where Sephiroth and Angeal were giving orders. With the orders issued, Soldiers dispersed to do their job. Angeal greeted, "Hey there puppy, looks like you found Vincent." His dark blue eyes focused on the gunman as he said, "It will be nice to work with you."

The gunman nodded and turn his attention to Sephiroth. His green eyes that was watching Vincent moved over to Zack. "There is," he stated, "a lot to be done before we can depart."

The young Soldier gave a sheepish look at the indirect command. The gunman figured he didn't have anything else to do and set his briefcase to the side of the railing. "I'll help with the cargo," he stated as he turned to head down the ramp, in result missing the surprise expressions.

He reached the pile of boxes that Soldiers were currently working on. Zack tried to get his mouth to move in order to warn Vincent that most of the cargo could only be lifted by 2nd class Soldiers without assistance. The gunman though lifted the box with ease and set it in the cargo bay. The young Soldier knew mako is what gave them strength and made their eyes glow. Maybe that is why the man's crimson eyes seem to glow. He knew that the gunman was an experiment of Hojo. Angeal unlike his apprentice's curiosity was relieved that the Turk was strong. He knew Sephiroth had said the man could take care of himself, but he wasn't sure until now. The three Soldiers went back to business.

In no time, Vincent and Zack finished loading the ship. The Soldier eagerly tugged on Turk's right arm. "Come," he stated eagerly, "I'll give you a tour of the ship."

The gunman followed as the younger man pointed out the gallery, engine room, and mess hall. He was showing the different Soldier quarters that was divided based on rank. As they were walking through what Zack called the First Corridor, he stopped in front of a door. "Angeal and I will be in this room here." Moving over one room he stated, "This is Sephiroth's room as well as yours."

At that moment, the general opened the door of the room. "I assume," he asked lazily, "You're done with the grand tour?" Zack nodded. "Then Angeal is in the room waiting for you."

"Yeah. I'll see you later,Vince." With that said, the black hair youth slipped into the room next door.

Sephiroth turned his attention to the pale beauty before him. As he handed the gunman the key, he explained, "There isn't very much space on the ship. So everyone has at least one roommate. I figured you would be more comfortable with someone you knew."

Vincent nodded, which made the other smile. He followed the general inside the room. It was nicer than the one back on headquarters. It was like a living room with a kitchen for a corner and a decent size bathroom to the side. Behind the couches of the room on the opposite side of kitchen was a king size bed. He frowned slightly as he realize they would be sharing the bed. He then distracted himself with the bookcase. Sephiroth noticed and stated, "Feel free to help yourself to any of the books."

The general wandered out of the room. Red eyes finally found a book of interest it was called 'Wutai War'. It would probably explain what he missed. He took it and sat down on the couch burying himself with the contents of the book. Hours had past as he read. Only a sharp knock on the door drew him away from it. He answered the door to find the Solider boy there.

"Hey there," he said as he swiped a glance into the room, "Just came to tell ya that dinner's ready. ...I'm guessing Seph isn't here?"

"No," the gunman stated.

"Figures. I tried to find him, but he wasn't anywhere I checked."

"You go ahead to the cafeteria. I'll find him," Vincent stated.

Zack didn't get a chance to protest before the Turk went past him. He wandered the halls thinking of areas that Sephiroth could be. **Did we really had to look for him? Couldn't ya just let the little guy find him? **_He wouldn't find him if he hadn't yet. He obviously checked the room as more of a last resort. _The man muted the rest of Chao's grumbling. He figured the general be someplace solitary and probably a place with lots of space to train with that long sword of his. As he headed towards the engine rooms he caught the smell of fresh rain and sweat, Sephiroth's smell. Following his nose, he finally could hear the sword slashes in the air. He walked in watching the silver hair general do different sword formations. After a minute, he interrupted and stated flatly, "Dinner's ready."

The swordsman whirled around with surprise evident on his features. He was obviously trying to decided if the Turk was really there or not. "Zack," Vincent continued, "couldn't find you."

This seem to pull him out of his stupor. He smirked and stated, "That is the point of training down here." The gunman shrugged indifferently and turned to go. "How did you find me?"

"Process of elimination," he replied not bothering to face the general or to stop leaving.

Together they entered the mess hall. They quickly got their meal and join Angeal and his apprentice. "Hey," Zack piped, "You found Seph."

Angeal commented, "Quite impressive considering it takes the other Turks at least 15 minutes to find him."

"I have the advantage of having both Turk training and Soldier's enhancements," Vincent explained flatly.

Angeal nodded while Zack looked perturbed. The conservation was quickly ensued by the young Soldier. He went over some Soldier mischief that happened today. Much of which was caused by the talking Soldier. He suddenly change subjects when it looked like Angeal was ready to lecture him. "So, he asked, "Why did you join the Turks?"

Vincent blinked in surprise before he thought about the question seriously. "I did for many reasons," he began, "My father was a scientist working with Shinra. I wasn't really into science, but I wanted to be close to him. So I decided to be a Turk. For I could use my reasoning skills and have them be tested to their limits. I had some basic training with a gun before I joined for self defense. I really liked shooting, so it gave me an opportunity to use that as well."

All three were surprised with the response. That was one thing that wasn't in the records Sephiroth read. To turn the focus off himself the gunman asked, "How about you, Zack?"

"Well," he pondered how to phrase it, "I joined because...I wasn't good at anything else. Plus I want to be a hero and help those in need you know." The gunman nodded in amazement at the innocence the young boy had despite his rank. The boy seemed to decide everyone should answer the question. "What about you Angie?"

The 1st class Soldier answered without hesitation, "A sense of duty to help and hopefully better mankind."

Zack smirked as he commented, "Figures. That is why you lecture about honor and such." Angeal gave him a stern look making the puppy realize how he phrased Angeal's talks. To get out of trouble he continued the question, "Seph, why did you decide to join Shinra?"

Vincent suppress a frown at the thought of Sephiroth's childhood. _He was given little choice I bet._ His red eyes watched the general with concern. He vaguely noted that Angeal was doing the same. The swordsman on the other hand knew it was coming. He answered, "It was what my father wanted. I accepted it because it give me more distance from him. Though over time I became very attach to the Soldiers.

Zack seemed pleased with the answer as he stated, "The Soldiers are happy to have you." Angeal lightly patted the boy's head. His purple eyes smiled at his tutor before glancing off at one of the other tables. "I'm going to finish eating with Cloud."

He excused himself and went over to a table where a blond boy sat. _Cloud if I recall correctly. _The rest of the meal was eaten in silence. The three felt no need for unnecessary conservations and the silence was comfortable. Angeal was the first to leave and get the Soldiers to settle down for the night. Sephiroth watched the Turk finished what little food he put on his plate.

"We should retire as well," the general stated. The general had a slight tone to his voice, an almost anxious or excited. Vincent decided it wasn't really important as he set the plate with the stack of other used ones.

They entered the room. Sephiroth began to strip off his jacket while watching the other gather some clothes and disappear into the bathroom. He vaguely wondered if it was in modesty or if it was the scars. He remembered the last video Hojo had of the Turk. It showed the man in his thin full glory while the scientist would point out specific scars and how it was obtained. He overall explained what would or wouldn't scar the subject. The general's thoughts were pushed aside as he turn to look at the gunman dressed in a fully button up shirt and sweat pants. It was disappointing for so much pale skin to be hidden beneath the black fabric. The man tossed his usual attire in the briefcase. Red eyes glance at himself, probably because he was only wearing his boxers. He slipped under the covers on the opposite side taking so little space the Soldier thought he would fall off. Sephiroth took the other half of the bed comfortable taking the same amount of space as usual. His green eyes watched the pale face trying to relax. His breathing was regular, but it eventually faded into the deeper depths of sleep. The swordsman decided to let sleep overtake him as well.


	5. Nightmares

AN: Hi all, sorry this chapter is so short compare to the others, but it is necessary. Not to mention I'm preoccupied with finals and such. Thank you for those who reviewed, faved, alert, etc. It is much appreciated. Oh, and also thanks for the 1,000 hits. As a bonus I have a tiny image, nothing too special considering school and all. The link for it will be in my profile since you can't really create a link in story. Anywho, enjoy the story.

Chapter 5: Nightmares

The night was restful until he heard a quiet pained moan and movement beside him. Sephiroth sat up and looked over to the pale beauty. His eyes were closed and he moved lightly like he was struggling against some invisible foe. As the general became more awake, he realized he acted like he was bound to a lab table. A nightmare about that didn't really surprise him. He shook Vincent by the shoulders to awaken him.

His crimson eyes opened, but they were wide with terror. It was quiet unusual to see the stoic Turk with a frighten expression across his features, even in Hojo's tapes. The Turk immediately struggled against the general trying to get away. He brought his claw arm up trying to tear Sephiroth's face. The Soldier swiftly grabbed a hold of the metal limb and the human hand pinning them above the man's head. He straddled upon Vincent's lap to render his legs useless. This seemed to only further panic the pale man. Sephiroth leaned down til his face was merely inches away.

"Vincent," he whispered soothingly, "Calm down. It was just a dream. It is only me, Sephiroth."

The Turk seemed confused before it was replaced by his usual expressionless composure. He took a deep breath to calm himself. The general listened to the racing heartbeat slow to a normal tempo. "Sorry," he heard the man utter quietly.

He release his grip and climbed off the pale man. He shrugged off his apology. "It's fine," he stated and continued with a question, "So what kind of nightmare was it?"

He was curious how much the Turk remembered of Hojo's experiments and which one terrified him so much. Instead of a satisfying answer, Vincent said flatly, "Not a nightmare, just a memory."

The man got off the bed and gathered his attire. Sephiroth glanced at the clock that read five am. He normally get up in hour from now. The Turk went into the bathroom. He could hear the shower turn on, which didn't help his mind. He could easily imagine the pale naked skin with scars crisscrossing thanks to Hojo's videos. When he was close to the man's lips, it took all his will power not to kiss those pale lips. He wondered why he lusted so strongly for Vincent. There were some obvious reasons such as his ethereal beauty, his strength, and the fact he survived the experiments. Having demons under his skin tingling with power that by itself was quite alluring.

As much as he wanted to kiss the nightmares away, he hated the idea of Vincent not wanting him. It wasn't hard to imagine his rejection, since the man loved his mother, and probably twice his age. Though he didn't think it should count since the Turk was asleep for most of it. He hated Hojo, but thankful that he was so twisted. Otherwise he wouldn't have been created and more importantly Vincent would have been dead or beyond his reach. He wonder though if this feeling was 'love' that the Soldiers and his friends, Angeal and Genesis, talked about. He knew and understood lust. He had a large share of one night stands. His mako green eyes moved to the book on the nightstand reminiscing the war to divert his thoughts.

* * *

Vincent quickly clean his hair trying to erase the memory from his mind. It was the time when he had three demons in his mind and no Chaos to help. He was on the verge of insanity. He remember Hojo attempting to tranquilize him, but none could get near without injury. He went week upon week not sleeping until finally he became unaware of his outside environment. It gave Hojo the opportunity he needed to subdue his specimen. He knew somehow Lucrecia was there and Chaos was put inside him. He couldn't really remember the details when Lucrecia was there.

The Turk pushed the memories aside and change into his usual attire. He left the bathroom with a towel around his neck to dry his hair. Sephiroth was still sitting in his boxers putting down the book. He asked, "Why chose the Wutari War?"

"Catching up on lost years," the Turk replied simply.

He put the towel aside and pick up the book. He left the room thinking of the emotions in those green eyes that watch him constantly. It wasn't pity, maybe empathy. It most definitely had curiosity. **He is too interested. **Vincent sighed at Chaos's unrequested response. **Didn't you see his expression? **_When? _**When he had you pin to the bed! **The turk ignored the way Chaos phrased that as he tried to recall. He knew it was Sephiroth once he whispered, but before he could only see a scientist without any features holding him down. _No. _**I see...** The demon seemed annoyed, but didn't pursue. He opened the book and began to read.

The sun set rather quickly. Vincent was up on top of the doorway roof. Even though he finished the book, he stayed outside watching the sea reflect the colors of the sunset. He let his thoughts wander on the past wondering how different things would be if he had stopped or better yet kill Hojo. He would have been saner whether or not Lucrecia chose to stay with him. Sephiroth would have few tests, but otherwise a normal childhood. A familiar scent of fresh rain caught his attention. He could barely hear the rustle of the leather attire.

"Hello Sephiroth," the Turk stated without turning around. He could hear the general let out a breath in frustration.

"Zack couldn't find you, so he asked me to. Shall we eat?"

"Hmmm," was the only semi-conformation noise Vincent made as he got up.

"How did you know it was me?" The general was quite curious since he was being very quiet on approaching the man.

"By the leather," pale man stated and under his breath he added, "and by your smell."

A smile touched Soldier's lips when he heard that from Vincent. He knew it was because of their enhanced senses, but he couldn't help being pleased that the pale beauty knew his scent. Together they arrived at the mess hall. They got food and joined Angeal, Zack, and Cloud at the table.

"Oh you found him," Zack commented, "It seems like you two have a homing device to find each other."

Angeal chuckled as the general replied, "Maybe we do."

Vincent rolled his eyes at their antics. The conservation went from the cafeteria food to some of the latest technology. Vincent just listened when it reached the strange devices of this time. Most of their conservation didn't make any sense to him.

Cloud asked excitedly, "Have you heard of the Neo Moki Phone?"

Zack thinks about it a moment then said, "Isn't that the phone that is like a mini-computer? It can even connect to the internet and hold materia?"

"Yeah. That is the one."

"Some of the Turks," Sephiroth added, "are testing the new technology."

Angeal just shakes his head and asked under his breath, "Who needs a phone that does all that?"

"I would like one," replied the black hair Soldier, "Hey Vince, are you one of the Turks testing it?"

Vincent replied flatly, "No."

"Eh," the boy exclaimed, "why not!?"

The Turk pulled the phone Tseng gave him out and explained, "Because this here is complex enough."

Zack takes it and flips it open examining its features. "This is a basic cellphone. At least it has a camera," he sighed giving the man his phone back.

"It takes...pictures? Is that why there are so many buttons?"

The puppy held a face that read 'You're joking, right?'. In no time he realize the pale man was serious. Grabbing his own phone he displays it to Vincent and stated, "Yours is basic. This is a lot of buttons."

Crimson eyes held great distaste and horror as he stared at the phone. Zack pulls out the keyboard and pen that is part of his phone. The Turk turned his gaze from such a complex item to his food.

The boy babbled on, "I can send my reports on this and play games-Ouch!" The puppy rubbed his head where his teacher hit him. "What was that for," he complained loudly.

"Put that away," Angeal commanded, "before I confiscate it. If I see you playing games on it, I will take it."

Zack grumbled as he put it away and then suddenly brighten as an idea hits him. "I can teach you to use you phone," he volunteered.

The thought of trying to learn something else on the phone horrified him. Not to mention it being an over enthusiastic kid who would poke fun at him as his instrustor. "I'm fine since I know how to use the phone book," he stated and was now very happy that Reno taught him about it earlier otherwise he would probably get lessons from the pup.

Angeal chuckled softly as he stood up and Sephiroth joined him. "We have First work to do," the blacked hair First stated, "And Zack, don't forget to do your errands."

Zack nodded without any enthusiasm. The two Firsts left as the boy turned to Cloud, "You'll help right?"

He practically had the puppy eyes going. The blonde Third nodded with a small smile. Zack turned his attention toward Vincent. "Will you help too?" He asked with a pathetic, but effective face expression.

Vincent frowned as he stated, "It's your job, not mine."

"Yeah," the soldier whined, "but you don't have anything else to do right?"

Vincent was cornered with that. He really didn't have anything else really since he finished the book. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep early and if he did, he would wake up when Sephiroth came back. That begging face was definitely hard to resist. The boy had to have practiced. Chaos chuckled at his plight. **Letting a little boy get to you? You're getting soft, Vincent. **_Shut up! _He definitely understood Angeal's situation now._ How does he manage to resist this face?_

"So will you help us, please?" The boy continued to beg.

"Fine," the Turk agreed reluctantly.

Zack beamed a grin. "Great. Deliver this to 226 of the 2nd quarters. Thanks." He hands the Turk a package and runs off with Cloud in tow. Vincent shook his head at the youngsters and wander towards the 2nd quarters. He finally found the room and could hear the ruckus of noise on the other side. He opened the door to see a flash of silver heading towards him and gasps. His right hand instinctively caught the blade between his index finger and thumb. His red eyes narrowed at the knife before quickly scanning the room. He quickly concluded they were playing a knife throwing game to hit the target that was on the door. There was money for the bets they made across the floor. The silence ended suddenly with a rush of comments.

"That was so cool!"

"You're that Turk."

"No wonder they let you accompany us, Soldiers!"

"Do that again!"

He frowned at the overwhelming attention. He stated dryly, "I'm just here to deliver this."

One Soldier took the package; he seemed to be the squad leader. He set it down on a bed. Vincent turned to leave when one asked, "How about you do a knife throw?"

Everyone in the room began to agree and encourage. Vincent decided they wouldn't let him go until he threw the knife. With a sigh, he toss the knife he caught, it hit the bullseye. That caused another clamber.

"Woah!"

"It was just a lucky shot."

"Cool"

"Do it again and we'll see if it was"

With some irritation, he took the second knife offered to him. He noticed a Soldier was about to remove the other knife from the target. He commanded, "Keep the knife there."

Everyone seemed confused, but his order was complied. Vincent swiftly threw the second knife and it embed itself into the other knife's wooden handle. Everyone was stun silent for a moment. The Turk forgot his need to leave for he thought maybe they were upset with the damage to the knife. Then one broke the silence, which made the rest follow.

"That was amazing!"

"No luck needed."

"How you do that?"

"Won that bet!"  
"Could you teach us?"

Vincent ducked his head lower into his cloak. He was overwhelmed with the questions and comments. He figured if he showed off they would stop pestering him. _I guess I should of thrown lamely._**Your pride wouldn't have allowed that anyways.** … The door opened loudly as the silver hair general came in.

"What is going on here? It's lights out time or the very least silence." His green eyes widen as he spotted the pale beauty. "Vincent," his commanding tone gone to a more neutral one, "What are you doing here?"

Chaos was muttering darkly about the general, which was ignored by his host. The Turk swiftly stood next to the general as he stated, "I was delivering something for Zack Fair."

That didn't seem to be enough explanation for the general. That was when the squad leader grudgingly filled in the blanks, "We were knife throwing using the target there on the back of the door...And well the Turk open it when the knife was already thrown. He caught it in midair. We were impressed and wanted to see his throwing abilities." He pushed the door close. "As you can see he is quite good. So, many of us want him to teach us."

The room became silent and filled with tension. They were nervous the general would have a negative reaction instead an amused smile flicker onto Sephiroth's face. "Maybe Mr. Valentine will teach you knife throwing later." He pulled the blades out of the target and threw them across the room into the far wall. "For now," he continued, "Put the target over there. We don't need any friendly causalities"

The general took a hold of Vincent's right arm and pulled him out of the room closing the door behind them. The Turk instinctively pulled his arm away, but murmured softly, "Thanks."

"What? You didn't like the attention?" The swordsman teased and then stated seriously, "At least you earn their respect, so I don't have to worry about my Soldiers not getting along with you. Though you shouldn't have ran that errand for Zack."

The Turk shrugged it off indifferent as he followed the other to their room. As they entered, the gunman asked, "When will we arrive at Wutai?"

"Tomorrow afternoon to evening."

Vincent gives a small nod as usual gathered clothes to sleep in and disappeared into the bathroom. Like before he came out to sleep on the other side of bed. This time though he was taking a bit more space than before. Sephiroth assumed that meant he was becoming more comfortable around him despite the nightmare. He once again watch those crimson eyes close as sleep took him.

* * *

Sephiroth awaken at his usual time. _This must mean Vincent was able to sleep without nightmares. _He smiled at the thought and looked over at the pale beauty. To his disappointment, the Turk's face had a slightly pained expression and moved side to side. Remembering what happened last time he attempted to awaken the man. He position himself over the sleeping gunman. It suddenly occurred to him that this position resemble his dream except the man was writhing in pleasure instead of trapped in a nightmare. He could feel the heat pooled between his legs, but ignored it as he gently shook the Turk's shoulders.

"Vincent," he whispered tenderly, "wake up."

Red eyes filled with panic glanced around the room. When his eyes gaze into the green ones, he visible calmed down. Unlike last time when his expression became emotionless, his face relaxed. _At peace knowing he was here with me. _It wasn't the expression he expected, but it was the one he wanted. He would bet that Vincent didn't even realize his face showed emotion. He wanted to draw more expressions from him like the one in his dream. The Turk interrupted his thoughts.

"Sephiroth," he asked with his voice laced with concern, "Are you alright?"

His expression change minutely to one of concern. It may not have been very strong expression, but it was clear on his pale face. Sephiroth realized how hard he was getting. He got off of the man carefully making sure the Turk didn't notice his hardness. He didn't want Vincent to run from him in any way.

"I'm fine," the general mumbled, "I'm going to take a shower."

He swiftly gathered his leather attire that he left at the edge of the bed. Brilliant on his part even though he didn't expect this to happen. He disappeared into the shower leaving a very confused Turk on the bed.

He dropped the clothes in a pile and added his boxers to it. He swiftly turned the water on warm. He let the water soak him thoroughly before turning the dial to further heat the water. He quickly grabbed his member with one hand stroking it lightly. His other hand was against the tile wall to support himself. He slipped his eyes closed imaging and remembering Vincent's expressions. He visualized the man naked with scars beneath him. His left hand began pumping at a rapid pace. After imagining the pale beauty coming for him, he let himself go with a grunt to distill a moan. He panted for a moment before quickly cleaning himself and the mess made. This was becoming a problem.


	6. Demon and Plans

AN: This hasn't been throughly checked, so sorry for any errors. I am away, so I'm unable to get on the computer easily. I would like to hear more reviews, but I assume I'm doing fine since I get more Favs and Alerts as I go. Anywho onto reviewer responses begining from previous chapter:

Yuien- yeah I'm working on their interaction. Reno is really fun to write. Something about his personality just clicks with me, which is wierd since we're complete opposites.

Whatevergirl-Me neither, I'm excited writing this. I know the general direction it is going, but the details change as I write. As for the CH 5 review, It will be both problematic and not at the same time.

MyAngelicEvil- Thank you. I soooo wanted to hear that. I get worry sometimes that my writing isn't accurate of the characters. I'm a nervous writer. SO, I LOVE the review it is very encouraging to read. I read it over multiple times.

Chapter 6: Demon and Plans

The ship arrived a bit earlier then expected with the help of the ocean currents. Soldiers were unloading the supplies and getting off. Zack was next to Vincent babbling about the knife throw incident and how he should show him. He was also trying to convince the gunman to teach him first since he is a friend. The man though wasn't really paying attention to what the boy was saying. His crimson eyes were focus upon the trees where there was armed people hidden within the branches. His right hand was unbuckling his Quicksilver. He asked the boy, "Zack, are we meeting any of Shinra forces here?"

"No," Zack replied confused by the change of subject, "they are too busy defending the base. Why?"

Without answering, the gunman quickly shot two down and injured two more. The Soldiers were surprised, but spurred into action swiftly. They eliminated the remaining terrorist. Sephiroth walked over to Vincent and asked, "Is there any more of them?"

"Not that I sense," the gunman replied flatly, "your Soldiers got the others."

The general gave a prompt nod and yelled at his troops to get ready to depart. A bustle of activity began as Soldiers quickly moved. "I doubt there are more ahead," the swordsman redirect his attention back to pale beauty, "but just in case, I would like you to scout ahead with Angeal."

Vincent nods and leave Zack side. He could hear the boy's protest. "Wait, can I go?"

"No Zack," the general stated sternly, "I need you to lead Squad 5 and 6."

The gunman knew the boy lost the argument and scanned the area for the First. Once he spotted him, the pale man stood beside Angeal. He stated plainly, "Sephiroth wants us to scout ahead."

The First burrow his brows and asked, "What about Zack?"

"He is to lead Squads 5 and 6," Vincent replied simply.

With a nod he tells a nearby dark blonde Soldier to lead Squad 3. After the order, they went into the forest. They each took a side until they could barely see each other and moved forward in a sweep of the area. The gunman saw signs that people have come through, but nothing was within the last few hours. They mad a steady pace ahead going due west towards the base. They had been at it for a while when a phone ringing broke the silence. His crimson eyes darted towards the source, which was Angeal. The First pulled it out and answered, "Hello Seph … ... … yeah we can...okay, bye."

Vincent was by his side when the man put the phone away. Angeal explained, "He wants us to find a goo place to set up camp. They have started marching now that all the ships are unloaded."

The gunman nods and clarified, "I assume he wants them to march til sunset."

"That is the idea."

With that, they scouted ahead once more. After few hours, Vincent began actively searching for a good campsite. He spotted a small clearing to the right. Once he gave a persicue glance, he spoke loudly, "Angeal!"

The First looked over in surprise by the unusual loudness of the Turk. He came over swiftly thinking something was wrong. The pale man just stated, "This would be an ideal location. It has freshwater over there." He pointed it out with his human hand.

"Looks good, but let's do a sweep to be sure it is safe."

With an exchange of nods, they explored the area. There wasn't anything of suspicion. Within thirty minutes or so, the Soldiers arrived where Angeal was plain to see. He gave orders of how the camp was to be set up. Vincent on the other hand was up in a tree. He jumped down catching the attention of Sephiroth and a few nearby Soldiers. The gunman went straight to the general and stated, "I would like to be part of tonight's patrol."

"We have plenty of-"

He interrupted Sephiroth firmly, "I can take first shift."

It was plain that the general didn't understand, but how could he. He didn't have the demon nagging at him to let him out. Let alone his murmurs of murdering Sephiroth. "Fine," the general reluctantly agreed. He pointed over to a tent that was set up by some other Soldiers, "That is our tent."

Vincent nodded and took the briefcase out from under his cloak and set it in their tent. Within minutes, the camp was set up and watches began. The gunman leaned against a tree debating on whether to let Chaos out. He knew the demon would like to kill something and he wanted to be further away from the Soldiers so they wouldn't see the demon. Not to mention, he took watch duty seriously and the demon obviously didn't. His ears perked up at the sound of someone approaching. He would of spur into action if he didn't smell Sephiroth's scent. He was trying to be sneaky. _I wonder why he is trying so hard to sneak up on me? What purpose would it serve? Is it a test in his skills or what? _The gunman sighed and asked, "Did you want something?"

He could tell the general was slightly upset at not catching him off guard. Though he hardly paid attention to his reaction with the demon's opinion. **Of course he wants something. He wants **_**you. **_He wanted to ask what the demon meant, but the swordsman stated concernedly, "You seem...distracted." Vincent sighed trying to pay attention to the man and ignore Chaos. The swordsman continued, "Something wrong?"

**Yeah! You're still pestering us. I want out and you should die while I'm out. Vincent. Let. Me. OUT. **The gunman winced as he explained, "Chaos has been...irritable."

Irritable.** Only because you won't let me out and **_**he **_**has been hanging around. **Curious green eyes watched him closely as he asked, "Why?"

**Oh, I'll gladly tell you. **The Turk bit his lip before he stated, "He wants out, but..."

The swordsman smirked and finished, "You don't want anyone to know of his existence." The gunman nodded. "Then let him out. **Great idea. **

* * *

Vincent eyes widened to the point that Sephiroth was concerned. The Turk hardly showed emotions to anyone else it would be a normal surprise reaction, but for him it was panic. The man stated with some fear laced in his voice, "But he'll want to fight."

The general smiled. _I would love to test the demon's strength. _He offered simply, "Then he can fight me."

The man's face paled and panic was plain to see as he replied stiffly, "You don't know wha-"

He suddenly dropped to the ground. The smile faded as the swordsman went to his side and said, "Vincent?"

The gunman seem to be in pain his eyes scrunch closed tightly. His claw digging into the dirt deeply while his right hand gripped his cloak tightly. When he opened his eyes, they flickered from red to yellow. He gruffly commanded, "Sephiroth. Back off. He's...ah."

The general did so as he stared at a familiar scene being played before him. Crimson eyes turned golden. The body became blue tinge and larger as the bones shifted. Chaos chuckled darkly, "So, the boy wants to play with me."

Sephiroth smiled pleasantly, "Pleasure to meet you in person, so to speak."

"Funny child," the demon stated angrily, "I'll-" He winced and sighed with annoyance. "I won't Vincent," he yelled with his eyes seemingly vacant, "so stop nagging!" The swordsman frowned in confusion, but before he could consider what just happened the demon asked, "So ready to fight silver child?"

The general just nodded without drawing his sword, which irritated the demon more. Chaos attacked with his claws angrily. Sephiroth just dodged side to side. The demon was faster then he expected. The claw swiped at him from the left forcing him to draw his sword to block. The swordsman now attacked and they continue to exchange blows back and forth without either getting injured. They both were concentrating on the battle determined to figure out the other's weakness. After an hour or so, Chaos sensed another human coming towards them. His claw grabbed hold of the sword that cut into him. He stated , "Someone is coming." Green eyes focused on his yellow ones. He continued with hatred laced into his tone, "I will let you know one thing. I don't like you or trust you, child of Hojo."

The demon let go both the sword and his form. The sickening sound of bones grating accompany the change to human. Vincent looked drawn and pale. He was barely holding himself up. Sephiroth finally put the pieces together. He stated without a doubt, "You were trying to hold him back because you thought he would kill me."

"He was," the Turk replied with a very hoarse voice, "He has talked about it enough."

The swordsman had quickly wiped off his sword and put it away. He put a supporting arm around the pale man's waist. The gunman began to protest when he cut him off. "You can barely walk."

The man sighed and stated with his voice sounding a bit better, "Let me stand for the Soldier who will take my place."

"Alright," he agreed. He disappeared into the bushes. Vincent walked carefully past the watchman who nodded to him and asked, "Pretty boring shift?" The gunman shrugged indifferently. "Right...well enjoy the night."

Once the man had gone a good ways, Sephiroth left his hiding place and put his arm around the Turk again. He carefully guided them to the sleeping campground and into their tent. The pale man sat down. The general hesitated before he stated, "I will leave for a bit... for you to change."

He disappeared behind the tent flap before the Turk had a chance to respond. He appreciated the gesture none the less, but he was very confused. He mechanically changed into his usual sleepwear and burrowed into the sleeping bag. The general returned and comfortable stripped. He goes over to Vincent who eyes were closed and touched his cheek. His beautifully red eyes opened in confusion. "Sorry," the swordsman began, "I didn't mean to cause you undue pain...and stress."

The Turk glanced away as he stated flatly, "It wasn't your fault. If anything you've calmed down Chaos...since he's been wanting out."

A warm smile touched Sephiroth's face. "Maybe we should make it a regular thing."

"Maybe," he replied noncommittally.

"Goodnight," the general said tenderly as he retired for the night. Vincent went over his thoughts seeing if he could come to any conclusion. _Chaos doesn't like him, but didn't kill him. Sephiroth is very protective of me, which doesn't make any sense. Then Chaos stated he wants me. 'Want' is a strange word to use. There are so many wants. He had friends, so maybe a fatherly figure? But then why so protective? A fear of using his new father figure, maybe...or not. _He sighed as decided that he was getting nowhere and he needed sleep.

* * *

Sephiroth awaken to find Vincent asleep peacefully. It was probably due to the exhaustion from fighting the demon. He lightly petted the hair letting his fingers play with the ink black strands. With a contented sigh, he pulled his hand away and dressed as quietly as possible. The movement pulled the Turk from his sleep. He blinked a few times before he murmured, "Do you want me...."

The swordsman turned startled not hearing the rest of what the pale beauty said. The Turk blink in confusion at his reaction. The general suppress his primal urge to take the man now and asked, "Sorry could you repeat what you said?"

"I said, do you want me to scout ahead today," the gunman repeated and then added, "You could sleep a bit more. It looks like you need it."

His face displayed his concern for Sephiroth's well being. Green eyes absorbed Turk's expression greedily. _He really shouldn't do that! _He stated a bit stiffly, "No, that won't be necessary and I am fine."

The gunman just nodded, while he left the tent swiftly getting himself occupied with giving orders. In no time, he got the Soldiers to break camp and march. At their steady pace they would reach the base by mid afternoon. But something seemed off. He couldn't quite place it. His eyes darted around the area and focused on Vincent who seemed tense as well. The Turk probably was sensing the feeling as well. Angeal was next to himself looking like his usual self, while Zack and Cloud were babbling merrily by the gunman.

Suddenly, fire rained from the sky upon them. Sephiroth activated his Cover materia to shield the majority of the Soldiers from the flames. This spurred them into action. He could hear the shots from the Turk's gun that was taking out the hidden terrorist. Zack and Cloud worked as a team eliminating the enemy swiftly. He made a mental note to team them up on future missions. Angeal was keeping a watchful eye on them as he sliced foes down. This wasn't right at all. It wasn't the fact that the enemy sneaked up on them as much as the fact they were organized and well trained. Not Wutai training, but more like the Soldier's. He ran his Masmurane through multiple opponents where his own ranks needed the help. He couldn't help but to glance at Vincent to see how he was faring. One got too close to the Turk and was slashed by his claw. The swordsman knew the man could handle himself just fine and therefore shouldn't be worrying. It was hard to get himself to comply with his reasoning.

The battle dragged on for a half an hour. The enemy numbers were more than their first estimate. Sephiroth immediately seek Angeal. He looked stern and was ordering the injuried be moved to be helped. The general asked, "Any causalities?"

Angeal sighed, "Only two were killed. Many others injured, but most are minor. The enemy was very organized and seem to understand our training...and weaknesses."

"There was more than expected for such a surprise attack. That means they have greater numbers," the general observed, "otherwise they wouldn't have risked so many with such a move."

Vincent wandered over to them and stated, "They were obviously trained well. I suggest we camp nearby and heal the injured."

Angeal looked over to Sephiroth for the final call who just nodded. The First announced loudly, "We'll set up camp here. Get the wounded treated immediately no matter how minor the injury is! Everyone else set up camp."

Soldiers bustled to fulfill the orders. The Turk waited a second before he recommended, "I think I should check the base's situation. See how they are holding up and if they know anything about the enemy's movements."

Sephiroth immediately said, "We can send a group."

The gunman frowned and red eyes flashed as he stated sternly, "Sephiroth. I believe that is the reason you brought me here is for my extreme stealth skills I have due to the experiments. Others couldn't go where I could."

Angela seemed to listen with surprise barely recognizable on his face. The general knew he lost this one. "Fine, go ahead. Report back as swiftly as possible."

Vincent nodded before turning around with his red cloak flowing out behind him. Angeal made observation and enlightened the general on his actions. He had been doing so for a while to help the swordsman understand emotions since he wasn't taught anything that wasn't battlefield oriented. "Sephiroth, I'm not sure if you notice but you are overly cautious when it comes to him. Which is strange since you spoke so highly of his abilities to soothe my worries. Is it because of the... experiments?"

His green eyes blinked before smiling at the First. "Angeal, you're always been very observant of my actions. I do know much about him. I think it is part of my...worry, but at the same time not. I consider him to be....a friend."

The dark hair First chuckled. "Funny for you to consider him a friend so swiftly when Genesis and myself had to force the term upon you."

Sephiroth asked teasingly, "Jealous?"

"Ha, hardly. I believe this is a sign of how much progress we made with you."

"So," the general replied, "you're taking the credit for it."

"I guess so," the First stated, "I know Genesis would for sure."

* * *

Vincent disappeared into the forest carefully blending in. He arrived at the base in no time; they had march til the attack which was early afternoon. He observed the 3 story base from a distance. There were guards, but they weren't Soldiers. They did dress in similar enough attire that the mistake was easy enough to make. He had the feeling the base was under enemy control. He wanted to be sure that he wasn't mistaken, so he plan to sneak in to confirm his suspicions.

The Turk watched their movements and sneaked onto the rooftops. He was glad he automatically went to the shadows for he noticed several well place security cameras. He entered the building and moved carefully. As he was traversing the hallways within the shadows, he heard voices talking. Glancing around the corner he say the hallway led to an open room with couches, small tables, TV, and a small kitchen like area. There were two sitting down. He sneak into the room hiding behind the TV to listen and observe. One stated, "The Soldiers didn't attack this afternoon."

"Probably because of the surprise attack. They'll attack tomorrow," the other responded.

"So things will go according to plan still?"

"Of course it will," voiced from a third person who just walked into the room.

He had blonde hair and vivid green eyes that were tinged with yellow. His skin had a nice dark tan. The other two stood up and saluted him and said, "Sir."

"Break time is over," the authoritative man stated, "Switch with the prison guards. Also, things will go according to plan unless I state otherwise. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" The two yelped before leaving the room swiftly.

The remaining one looked around the room briefly like looking for someone. **He can't see us. **Vincent pressed into the shadows more despite Chaos's assurance. Those green eyes that were so very different from Sephiroth's lingered near where he hid. A smile touched the man's lips before he left the room. The gunman decided he better go and report this. Something about that man though set him on guard. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was seen. Ignoring it, the Turk carefully left the building the same way he entered. The trip through the forest was without an incident. The sun was beginning to set when he reached the camp. He swiftly spotted Sephiroth and Angeal around one of the campfires. Angeal suddenly noticed Vincent's presence. He was startled while the other just turned to face the Turk and asked, "So?"

"The situation is not good," the gunman stated with a frown, "The enemy has the base under their control. There are is obviously more than we expected and there are a few survivors being kept as prisoners. I'm not sure how many."

Angeal observed, "It's like they have inside information."

"By my observation," stated the Turk, "I would say so. They are expecting us to attack tomorrow. The sentries are wearing similar uniforms to Soldiers."

"We need a battle plan then."

Sephiroth replied, "It would be best to head straight into the trap, so they don't suspect anything."

"We'll split into groups then to launch a pincer attack,"the First added.

"The majority will be with me to walk straight into their trap," the general concluded.

"If I may make a suggestion," Vincent asked and once they nodded he added, "I believe we should have three groups. The largest walking into the trap. A secondary to go around the back. And a small third to sabotage. That can mess with the sensors so they won't realize the second group is coming. Also, I noticed the ship had explosives. The third group can setup some before the main group attacks and set them off."

The Firsts were silent. Angeal was stunned and impressed. Sephiroth he wasn't sure what the emotion was. He would guess pleased or thrilled by his smile. "Perfect," the general stated, "I'll lead the main, Angeal the secondary, and you'll lead the third."

They discussed the details of the plan carefully. They looked over blueprints, equipment details, and the team numbers. Certain details were obvious like Zack and Cloud being on Angeal's team. Vincent had to fight for the no more then ten for his group. They finished within an hour. Sephiroth claimed to have a few orders to give, but the gunman knew it was for his privacy which he appreciated. He changed and settle onto his side. He had a lamp that was provided by the Turks in the briefcase. It was nice light. He steadied the blueprints reviewing the details of key areas to explode and equipment areas to tamper with. The general came into the tent without glancing at him he slipped off close. Vincent turned off the light after the other laid down. The general glanced over at him and said, "Good night," before turning to sleep.

Vincent murmured, "Good night." Letting his eyes close and sleep to come.


	7. Viridis and Injury

*Reposted with some fixes. Sorry for errors I've had little time to write*

A/N: Another chapter done. I'm slowly revealing the elements. As usual THANK YOU for all the Reviews, Watches, and Favs. And of course thank you for your continuous read and support. Anywho review replies.

Sinfulseraph: I didn't really think of that too much, mainly due to the character's personality. You'll see more of him later..

Yuien: Glad I don't have too many errors. It was a nice idea, but for later. I need a certain development out of the way first.

Whatevergirl: Yeah, my stories tend to have a life of their own. This chapter is a strong proof of that since it wasn't in the original concept at all. Chaos is fun and always has his reasons.

Amon2: Genesis will be making his appearance soon. You'll get a bit of contact with him in the next chapter.

Chapter 7: Viridis and Injury

_His vision was blurred. Things would flicker in and out of clarity. Vincent was laying on the operation table drained of his energy and barely conscious. In the corner of his vision he could see a lab coat with blood splattered across it. He could hear Hojo's grating voice, "His sample should serve the project well."_

_ Another voice that was quite familiar, but couldn't quite place asked, "You're sure? He seems quite weak to me."_

_ Another lab coat without any blemishes wandered into his vision when he felt a soft yet callused hand touch his cheek pulling his face away from the lab coats. His vision blurred a moment before focusing onto the face before him. Green eyes that were more yellow based than Sephiroth's eyes stared at him. He was the man at the base, but he looked the same age despite how many years this was in the past. His voice stated soft yet firmly, "He's strong. His sample should survive the experiment without trouble."_

_ The familiar scientist's voice sighed, "We'll see. The others failed before birth."_

_ Hojo snapped, "Just do it and I also have more instructions on Project W...how is Project W?"_

_ "Going as you have instructed," the green eyed man commented._

_ He was thoroughly ignored and the scientists began to discuss in hush voice. Vincent strained to listen, but his body was too weak as well as his senses. It was disturbing how green eyes studied his face so closely. His own crimson eyes were barely opened and had trouble focusing. He could feel the man's fingers trace his face and lingered on his dry lips. Suddenly the scientist angrily asked, "Why don't you work on Project W yourself?"_

_ Hojo replied harshly, "I have the more important Jenova Project to work on."_

_ The green eyes flickered towards the voices before back down on Vincent's face. His fingers trailed down the Turk's neck and stopped at the collar bone when Hojo's voice stated, "I'm testing the dosage on him first. Anyways I believe you two should be going now."_

_ The man hmmed as he moved his hands away and disappeared from his limited view. Hojo was muttering under his breath about incompetent fools before all went to black._

Vincent awaken disturbed. It wasn't like his usual nightmares. Not to forget the fact that man was in it that was very curious. _Chaos? _**I don't have any recollection of such events. Either your mind created such a dream or a time when I was not active. Though... … **_What?_ **Nothing, just thinking. If I come up with anything, I'll let you know. **Chaos presence dimmed in his mind. It was odd. Almost like he was hiding something. He honestly wasn't sure how to take the dream, but he was positive that man wasn't like normal Soldiers maybe something like Sephiroth or himself.

To set himself away from lingering thoughts of the dream, he glanced over at his sleeping companion. Sephiroth was still asleep. He definitely inherited Lucrecia's beauty. The only thing of Hojo he could see in the boy was his angular face, but that was just a mere hint barely worth noting. It was a phenomena that scientists couldn't control.

Deciding there was much to accomplish. He quietly pulled his clothes over and switched his pants. He began to carefully unbuttoning his shirt. It always took a frustrating amount of time one handed. He was slowly getting better at it. The sound of the Sephiroth shifting caused crimson eyes to meet very awake green ones. He mentally winced at the face he was almost finished unbuttoning therefore his pale skin and scars would be hard to miss. He took a short deep breath as he mentally lectured himself. _I have to get used to my appearance. It might as well be sooner... ...and with someone who could understand. _He still wasn't comfortable, especially when the emerald eyes widen in surprise. In hopes of stopping the stare he stated, "Good morning, Sephiroth."

He disrobed his shirt being careful with his golden gauntlet. The general suddenly moved to is side helping him take off the sleeve without damaging it. The Turk carefully studied the man's neutral face trying to understand his thoughts. The only thing that hint any emotion was his eyes, which seemed to have a myriad of emotions hidden such as troubled, pleased, and others he couldn't read. Very conflicting feelings the swordsman seemed to have.

He stopped his silent study when Sephiroth's hand strayed to touch him. The Turk quickly caught the other's wrists and stated without much thought, "Don't touch."

The general glanced at him with concern, "Do they still hurt?"

Vincent knew his reaction was strange to the other. It was honestly hard to concentrate since Chaos decided to make his presence known. **Chase him away. He is too close as it is. **He was glad that his demon wasn't commanding him to kill him anymore, but he still seem to despise Sephiroth. He knew the demon could care less about his scars, but he reacted because his host was troubled by them. He could hear Chaos growl in frustration knowing that the Turk wasn't planning on shooing the general away. He answered carefully as he pulled his black leather shirt close, "Not physically, it's just...ment- it is too fresh on my mind."

Sephiroth knew what the man was saying. He remember one of the last notes on the man The coffin specifically designed to force the Turk's body to be asleep, but mind awake to relive his darkest thoughts and fears. It was an amazing the man before him had as much sanity and confidence as he did.

He glanced at the pale an whose eyes were focus on a random spot on the ground. It was painfully obvious that he was trying to regain control of his emotions. His face wasn't really expressing much besides frustration. It was nice though that he was seeing this side that the Turk took painful leaps to hide. In both want to feel skin and to settle the man, the swordsman carefully put his hands on the other's face making them look eye to eye. He stated soothingly, "It's okay. I'll just help you with your attire."

He took the black shirt from the gunman's lap and carefully pulled the sleeves on and buttoned the shirt swiftly. As much as he wanted to study the other's scarred skin, it would have to be another time when the Turk was more comfortable. This though was progress and he could wait as long as there was progress. Vincent seemed to have regain his composure. As he pulled his cloak on and fastened the buckles he murmured, "Thank you."

A smile touched Sephiroth's lips as he stated, "Anytime." Knowing there was much to complete today he pulled on his clothes swiftly. They left the tent and joined in the quick breakfast. In no time, Sephiroth and Angeal was dividing the Soldiers into three groups. The general had the majority of the Soldiers, Angeal had a smaller amount that included Zack and Cloud, and Vincent got ten people. He was glad for the smaller number. The groups began to separated out. The First left with his to set up a camp point for the injured before beginning the pincer attack. Vincent was about to leave with his ten when the general tapped his shoulder. As he turned to face him the general stated, "Be careful."

The Turk rolled his eyes as he informed the other, "You're the one in the danger zone. So be careful as well."

The other had one of his secretive smiles as he stated, "Always."

The general began to rally up his troop as the gunman signaled for his group to come with him. His group followed him into the forest. Once they were a good distance from the main group, Vincent stopped and turned. "Our group is crucial to pull this off. We'll have two groups. Once that will mess with the radars and other devices of the base. The other will set up bombs to be denoted at the beginning of the battle. Once the first set of objectives are completed we will regroup to infiltrate the base carefully. I don't want any causalities, understood?"

"Yes sir," they replied in unison.

The Turk sighed, "It's Vincent, not sir. Everyone has their communicators correct?" There were nods, "Set them to 511."

They were complying, but one asked, "Why 511? It isn't any of the standard Soldier presets."

"Exactly. We are dealing with an enemy that knows our standard actions, sow we're going to be unconventional. Now we have two squad leaders, Trey and Nicolas." The two stepped forward. One just asked the question, while the other was the squad leader from the knife throw incident. "Trey, you're in charge of explosives. Nicolas, you are to subtly disrupted their signals and such. George, Seth, Zan, and Bill are to be with Trey. The rest of you are in Nicolas's group."

"What about you, s-Vincent?" Trey asked.

"I will be about helping your groups as needed," he replied simply.

With a nod they set out towards the base. It wasn't very far. Once they were in the area, he pointed out weak points to the squad leaders. Nicolas's group already messed with the enemy's radar and was setting up bigger disruptions for later. Trey and his group set up explosives in key areas. They all moved carefully to avoid the attention of the guards. The Turk switched back and forth between the groups helping things along. Something though felt off. He couldn't figure out what it was. The enemy haven't noticed them yet, so all should be well. He studied the enemies movements more closely. They were all watching for signs for Soldiers, but their fingers were on the triggers. All the enemies looked ready to attack on sight. His instinct told him the green eyed man had spotted him earlier. The enemy stiffened, the gunman looked up to notice Sephiroth and his army right on time. He had to change the plan. Before the enemy was within firing range, Vincent murmured into the headset, "Now."

The teams complied even though they thought it was too soon. It set off a series of explosions catching the enemy off guard. Key power grids were cut such as the security, defense, and weapons. Sephiroth and his troops seemed to march quickly into the chaos. Angeal attacked from the side earlier then originally planned upon seeing the explosions.

The plan was working despite the change. Enemy numbers have been cut down and forced to fight defensively. Vincent talked into the headset, "Meet at South side 2nd entrance."

The gunman jumped down from the third floor roof to second. Since most of the guards had wander off due to the attack, he was able to eliminate the remaining swiftly with his Quicksilver. It was an entrance for those on break to get feel of nature and the outside without risking the security of the base. Of course, the Turk made sure his team had equipment to climb the wall and with the guards now eliminated it would be an easy climb. Within a few minutes, all ten gathered by the entrance. The gunman explained, "We're going to take control of the base from the inside. Most should be busy due to the attack. But be cautious."

They entered the base swiftly and traversed the hallways carefully taking down any enemies they saw. He had Nicolas's team head up for the control panel while Trey's will head down to the lower levels to help the main groups. Vincent trailed Nicolas figuring they would have the most trouble. There were surprisingly few people in the way, but the Turk felt like this was a trap.

They entered a medium size hallway when gunshots were fired. The gunman moved faster than his comrades could to deflect the oncoming bullets with his metal arm. Due to the number of bullets he had one glaze past his arm and another bury itself into his upper arm. Nicolas watched in surprised, while the others were still trying to comprehend what just happened. He didn't pay much attention to their reactions; he was focus on the man who calmly walked out of the shadows with a smile on his face and a gunsword in hand "Well," the voice that was exactly the same as the dream, "if it isn't the one and only Vincent Valentine."

His crimson eyes met the man's green ones. He whispered to Nicolas, "Take the stairs to the left. I'll keep him occupied."

He could sense the boy wished to argue, but he didn't and complied with the order. He carefully watched the man as the others went upstairs. The man did not even try to go for the soldiers. His posture was relaxed as he stated, "I always knew you would be the the first to disrupt our plans, but they didn't listen." His eyes for the first time strayed from the Turk watching the last Soldier head up out of sight. "Now that they are out of the way shall we talk?"

Vincent had his quicksilver drawn, but pointed down like the other's gunblade. He asked, "How do you know me? Who are you?"

The man smiled, "I'm not surprised that you don't remember me after all we never met when you were... coherent. I'm Viridis. I would rather not fight you, Vincent. I believe you should join us."

His eyes narrowed. He was surprise how silent Chaos was being. It was odd, especially since he was making a proposition. The demon had been odd ever since that dream. He stated flatly, "Why would I do that? I don't even know who 'us' is."

"A pity, but I don't really have the time to explain. You can come with me willingly or I will take you anyways. So which will it be?"

This seemed to finally stir a reaction from the demon. **Let me handle this, Vincent. I will show ****him he isn't in a position to make such decisions. **The host frowned in thought. He was sure if he trusted the demon on this. He was acting rather strange. _No, Soldiers are too close. I can handle this. _Chaos growled and tried to force his way out. The gunman winced as he strained to push him back. He could see Viridis looked concerned, but that didn't stop the Turk from raising his gun to fire.

The man dodged. He was quick probably as fast as Sephiroth. Forcing the demon into the back corner of his mind, the Turk barely blocked the incoming sword strike with his claw. The man was obviously better at close quarters making the gunman on the defensive side. Once Chaos was more subdued, he began to use his speed to try to get a hit in. They both moved swiftly trying to catch the other off guard. Vincent knew he was running out of time. His arm stung with the bullet that was still inside his arm and Viridis was making sure he didn't have a chance to raise gun. He decided there was only one way to catch the other off guard. When the man swung his sword, the Turk purposely let it sink into his upper arm. He only had a moment before the other would pull out the sword; he fired three shots into the man's abdomen.

The other had pulled his sword free and was using it as support. His left hand covering the wound. He heard a rather cheerful chuckle before the man stated, "I never expected you to injury yourself in order to attack me. I underestimated you..."

His green eyes glowed. The gunman swiftly fired more shots only for it to hit a shield. He cursed under his breath, he should of realize the man had materia. Viridis smiled as he activated his transport materia. "I'll see you later, Vincent."

With that he was gone, the Turk was about to holster his gun when he heard someone approaching. He turned with gun pointed at the stairway, but he promptly put it away when he realize it was one of his teammates. The purple eyed boy asked, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," the gunman muttered stiffly. His right hand was digging into his wound seeking the bullet. Once he had a firm grip on it he pulled it out and tossed it aside. "Where is Nicolas?"

The Soldier replied promptly, "He is control of the main computer room now. He only needs Ray with him, so I'm the squad leader of the other two."

"You're Heath, right?" The boy nodded and Vincent continued, "Alright then come with me."

He led this group towards the main floor. They were technically still on the second floor, but there were stairs leading down to the open room. It was large and it seemed to be the center of the battlefield. He could easily spot Soldiers from the enemy, so far the Soldiers had the upper hand. He signaled Heath to join with the Soldiers of the battlefield. He moved over to the pillars of the second floor studying the scene before him before drawing his gun. The enemy was still trying to win despite the odds. They had snipers set up on the opposite wall 2nd floor. He noticed one was aiming for the general. He swiftly eliminated that sniper with a bullet to the head. He fired two more spots before he quickly reloaded his gun.

His crimson eyes noticed Sephiroth had glanced up and flashed him a smile before returning to his general facade. Vincent blinked at the display that was confident one, but childish. He really wished he knew what the general expected of him and how the man viewed him. **Who cares? Especially since he's Hojo's spawn. **_So you are deciding to be civil again? _**I was being- grrr. It doesn't matter. He isn't to be trusted. **_And Viridis is? _**… …** Chaos seemed to refuse to answer anything to do with that man.

He turned swiftly when he heard someone approaching him from behind. He found himself face to face with a First. He recognized him being the Soldier from questioning. To confirmed he asked, "You're Kraden, rig-" He raised his golden gauntlet just in time to block the sword. He informed the First flatly, "I'm on your side."

The Soldier smiled evilly as he stated, "Who said I'm on that side."

He blocked another strike. If he didn't heal as fast as he did he wouldn't have been able to block any attacks, but his wound was still there and bleeding. He was in trouble. Kraden was stronger, while he was injured, and had very little space to maneuver in. The Soldier kept striking without a pause keeping the Turk defensive. The gunman squeezed the trigger to injury the other's foot, but he didn't even react. _Are the boots made out of metal instead of leather? _

He blocked the next set of attacks slowly backing up. The railing was within a foot of him now. The Soldier seemed to be impatient. He struck the claw to the left side and drew his second blade to strike out with. Vincent barely blocked it with his gun. He fired it into the man's arm, which made him drop the second blade. The Soldier brought the other sword inward cutting into the gunman's side. Kraden smiled victoriously, but it was soon dropped as bullets were fired. The Turk shot the other several more times in the other arm, legs and upper chest. He purposely avoided the man's vitals. The Soldier fell upon the floor in a heap for his legs couldn't support him with those wounds. The sword clattered upon the floor along with some blood. He could faintly hear the Soldier muttered, "Monster."

Vincent leaned against the railing. His crimson eyes focused on the injured First to be sure he wouldn't attempt to escape. He knew further battle would be bad for him for he was already light headed from the wound. He almost didn't notice Sephiroth approaching him. His red eyes meet the familiar green ones. The Turk kept his face expressionless as usual as he stated stiffly, "Kraden here probably knows something about the strange attacks. It seems to be an inside job."

The general frowned when he looked down upon his fellow First before turning his gaze back the the gunman with a smile on. "Thanks for keeping him alive. We'll be able to get a lot out of him."

He placed his hand on the other's shoulder. Vincent visible winced before quickly composing his face neutral. The swordsman's smile disappeared. He wanted to tear apart the injured First, so there was nothing left for hurting his pale beauty. That would have to come later after someone else gets information from him. He should of realize there was too much blood to be from the other alone. The general noticed the second wound which was upon his side. He stated despite it being obvious, "You're badly injured. You need a medic."

Sephiroth placed his arm around the Turk's waist carefully to support the man. He could hear him mutter, "I'm fine."

_Why was this man so stubborn? He acted like the injury was something to be ignored as if it wasn't serious or he isn't worth anything. _He ignored the Turk's insistence of being fine. He spotted Angeal who just got up the stairs. He walked over with the gunman. "Angeal." The man looked surprise to see the Turk injured. Sephiroth continued, "Question this man here about this terrorist actions." He pointed over to Kraden. "Have Zack and a few others cheek the basement for the prisoners. And have someone check on the base's status."

The First nodded after a moment of hesitation. The general continued to guide the injured man through the door down the short hallway to an elevator. The medical rooms were on the 3rd floor and Angeal already sent Soldiers with medic training up their to treat the injured. He pressed the button trying to be patient. Vincent looked a tad paler than before and his breathing was a bit shallow. It was making him anxious. He almost rushed in when the doors finally open. Luckily he didn't, it was filled with Soldiers who were injured and they were surprised to see their general and the Turk there. "General, the elevator is full, but if you like one or two-"

"No," he stated firmly, "it's fine go on ahead up."

"Yes sir."

With that the doors closed. He knew there were many injured on the first floor waiting to get help. Out of impatience and practicality he lifted Vincent into his arms. He seemed much lighter than he should be. He couldn't suppress the frown of concern, but at least he knew the man was still well with his light struggle. The Turk protested, "I can walk just fine."

"Not up stairs," the general stated in a tone that clearly said 'Don't argue'.

And to his surprised the Turk didn't argue and remained still. The swordsman took stairs two at a time. Reaching the top, he caught a lot of Soldiers staring in surprise. It was not often one would see the general carrying someone yet alone not trying to pass the task to someone else. Sephiroth stalked pass them into the medic rooms. There were people being treated and all seem to glance up at the general before returning to their tasks. A Soldier came over and said, "Set him on the bed there. What is the extend of his injuries?"

Vincent realized the Soldier was Nicolas. Before he could say anything, Sephiroth answered, "His left upper arm is injured and he has a serious wound on his left side. There might be other wounds though."

Vincent frowned slightly as he stated, "It's just the two, but they'll heal."

He was thoroughly ignored as the medic glanced over the wounds. "We need to remove the clothes to treat the wounds."

He was about to touch the cloak when the Turk's head turned swiftly to face him glaring with blood red eyes. Nicolas froze unsure what to do. The general ignored the man's reaction and began to unbuckle the cloak. The gunman's human hand grabbed the other's wrist and hissed, "Don't."

Sephiroth was fed up and stated firmly, "Cooperate or you will be sedated."

He could hear the Turk murmur curses under his breath, but he did release his hold. The swordsman tossed off the cloak and quickly unbuttoned the shirt. He removed it carefully for the wound was sticking too it. He allowed his hands to feel the firm pale skin as he did so.

Nicolas studied the wounds wondering how the Turk manage to stay conscious. He took note of the scarred skin, but wisely didn't comment on it. He began to clean the side wound with antiseptic. The gunman's expression was strain, which told the general it stung. Seeing the claw clenched tightly, he took a hold of Vincent's human hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. The medic paused a moment unsure what to do. The general stated, "Treat him as you would me."

It was his way to imply how much Mako the Turk had in his veins. He could see the other's eyes widen a fraction before nodding. He took out a cure materia casting the spell lightly on the wound before bandaging it. He turned his attentions next to the arm wound. He could tell a bullet had penetrated the skin. He gently probed at the wound. Vincent coldly informed him, "I took the bullet out."

Nicolas suppressed the urge to hide as he disinfected the wound. In no time cure was cast on it and tightly bound. He than picked up a syringe and filled it with something green. Crimson eyes glared at the needle as he asked harshly, "What is that?"

He didn't realize he was squeezing the general's hand. Sephiroth noticed the reaction as the boy explained, "It is antibiotics with Mako to speed up the healing."

"I don't need it," Vincent stated firmly. Nicolas glanced at the general who just confirmed the Turk's no. With a sigh, the medic put it down and said, "Well he should stay here for-"

The Turk's expression darken. "No need," the swordsman replied swiftly, "I'll take him to my quarters."

He lifted the man into his arms. For once the gunman didn't protest as the general carried him away. They went down a hall and and stopped at a door which the general carefully opened. It was kicked closed behind them. Vincent was set upon the bed gently. The Turk muttered quietly, "I would have been fine. It wasn't anything to be concerned about."

"You'll heal faster this way," the general replied promptly.

"Hmm.." His eyelids felt heavy. _Maybe my injuries were worse than I thought? No, healing materia always made me a bit sleepy. _He quickly fading on the comfortable king size bed. He felt silk sheets being placed on him before darkness took him.


	8. Plans and Calls

AN: Sorry this chapter is both short and slow to update. Schools been keeping me busy. I'll try to be on top of the next update. Anyways Thanks once again for all who read this, watch, fav, etc. Now onward to reviewer response.

Thunderstorm101: yeah you were completely right. I went back through after receiving your review. So that chapter should be better. I looked over this one as well before posting. Hopefully it will be nearly error free.

whatevergirl: yeah, this chapter goes over Sephiroth's inner thoughts a bit. Of course, Vincent will recover fast as seen in this chapter.

dragonprotector: Thanks for the support. I hope to continue doing a good job. Vincent likes taking care of things himself.

Chapter 8: Plans and Calls

Sephiroth glanced at the other a bit before moving on to reading a book. He read the book for a while, but only halfheartedly. With a sigh, he closed the book. His green eyes lingered on Vincent's face as his mind stirred in an internal combat. _I won't get this opportunity very often. _Giving into desire, the general lightly brushed his lips against the pale check kissing the soft skin.

He listened carefully to the man's breathing to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed. He wanted to indulged a bit without scaring the other. His hand traced the exposed throat and trailed down the chest hidden beneath the covers. Tracing the pale chest lightly, he pressed his lips against pale neck taking in the delicate clove smell that was Vincent's. He froze as the Turk shifted a bit. He seemed uncomfortable. It occurred to Sephiroth that he was touching one of the apostasy scars. He moved his hand back to the pale cheek. He had to remember the scars run deep. He pulled away only half contented. The Turk's skin seemed a bit healthier with the short rest.

Vincent really scared him today. He really thought he was going to lose him even though he knew the man was strong. His green eyes studied the other's face closely. He seemed tranquil, almost at peace even though the general knew the man's mind was in turmoil most of the time. His eyes lingered on the gunman's lips. Despite the man being so pale his lips had a hint of rosy color. He could imagine how red it would become after kissing. His fingers traced the other's lips. He leaned forward placing his lips a few centimeters away before he kissed the forehead instead. When he pulled away, he found crimson eyes blinking away the glaze of slumber. He looked startled.

Vincent opened his mouth, but a knock stopped them both. Sephiroth got up to answer the door leaving the other confused. The Turk sat up leaning against the backboard. He honestly didn't know about modern policies on displays of affection. He also wasn't sure how much was a dream and how much was real. By Sephiroth's surprise at him being awake such displays weren't common. Though it is possible for it to be common for modern times and not for the general. He didn't seem to do many things that are considered normal, but that was probably Hojo's influence. Chaos was refusing to comment. _Maybe he realize if he did, I would mention Viridis. Now though isn't a good time for such a discussion._

Angeal's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "Are you feeling better, Vincent?"

"I'm fine."

Sephiroth sat down in a chair and signaled Angeal to do the same. He asked, "So?"

He looked at the first expectantly. Angeal began hesitantly, "Kraden wouldn't talk at first, but when I threaten him with you, he spilled everything. It appears select few Soldiers and some mercenaries were ordered by President Shinra to attack the base as terrorists. They hoped to anger you with the death of Soldiers that way he could order the take over of Wutai. Apparently he wants Wutai completely under his control."

The Turk's face harden with a slight frown. It explains a lot, yet nothing. But Shinra always had more layers then anyone would understand. He would bet the Seneca Shinra himself didn't realize it. The general's angry voice stated, "He sacrificed my Soldiers for this." His fist slammed down onto the table. "He will pay for this."

Angeal frowned and looked a bit unsure. Vincent simple asked, "Do you plan on rebelling?"

The general's eyes glowed as he confirmed firmly, "Yes."

The First said with confidence, "I'll assist you."

"Then we better come up with a plan," the Turk stated flatly.

Sephiroth smiled at his support. "First thing we need to figure out is who is on our side and who's on Shinra's side."

"Most will go where you go. The Turks I'm unsure of," Angeal commented, "They always seemed close to Shinra..."

"They aren't as close as they appear," the gunman informed them, "with the right incentive they'll join. ...Is there anyone who can lead the Soldiers at headquarters? I don't think they'll listen to Turks."

"Genesis can," the swordsman immediately responded, "There is one issue that needs to be taken care of first. Who will take over Shinra Inc.? I have no desire to."

Angeal suggested, "How about Rufus? He is different from his father, but still is practical and commanding."

"Perfect," he stated.

"I believe," the gunman commented, "that will be a good incentive for the Turks."

"So we will head back and the day we arrive the attack will begin," Sephiroth commanded, "Vincent you talk with Turks and I'll will talk with Genesis."

The pale man nodded as the general wandered out of the room with the First trailing behind him. The Turk took out the phone. It was luckily not damaged from the earlier fighting. He opened it and followed Reno's explanation and got to the phone book. He realize he didn't know who to talk to first. He should call Tseng, but he didn't feel like beginning with him. Rude was probably very silent on phone that unfortunately left Reno. He pressed the green phone button and put the phone to his ear waiting for the redhead to pick up. "Yo, I never thought you were going to call. So what's up?"

"...This is important, Reno. I plan on calling Tseng after this," Vincent explained, "Shinra falsified the attack in Wutai in order to have a reason to conquer it. Sephiroth decided to disthrone Seneca Shinra."

Reno chuckled, "heh, that's good and all, but who'll replace him. I'm sure not gonna follow Seph. No offense to the guy, but it would be too...uh military like and all."

"We were thinking of Rufus."

"Ah, him. Well us Turks like him. So why ya called me before Tseng?"

"I want you to figure out who is on our side within the Turks and higher ups. Also I want you to act as a communicator between the Turks and Soldiers. You're talkative enough that no one would be suspicious of anything."

"And here I thought it would be due to my sneaking ability," Reno faked his pain over dramatically in his voice tone, "I'm hurt."

"..."

"Sooo who's leading the Soldier's operation hmm?"

"Genesis."

"Ah, so his vacation will be cut short, eh? So how things in Wutai?"

"...tell Rude."

Click. Beep. Beep. Beep. "...Vincent, yo Vincent... … … he hanged up on me," he stated to his partner.

"He's the straight to business type," Rude commented.

"Yeah..."

Vincent dialed the next number waiting for an answer. "Hello Vincent," Tseng asked, "I never expected you to call me. Is something wrong?"

"...Wutai terrorist actions were a direct order of Seneca Shinra."

"...I see, so Sephiroth is usurping him?"

"That is correct and he plans to put Rufus in charge," Vincent explained.

"A good choice. I assume I have Angeal to thank for that."

"That's correct. I already informed Reno about the situation. He will be your communication device for the Soldiers who are going to be led by Genesis."

"Sounds like a plan. I will give you some information through Reno later on. Good luck on your side, Valentine."

With that the call ended. It would be a lot harder to pull off then the Wutai mission, but if we have more allies-the easier it will be especially if they are higher ups.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sephiroth called Genesis and immediately the familiar voice asked, "For what do I owe the honor of getting a call from the Great Sephiroth?"

He would have been annoyed if Genesis's tone wasn't playful. Sephrioth and Genesis were both friends and rivals, often it was hard to tell which they were at any given moment. It really was confusing at times for the general. "I need you to go back to Shinra headquarters," he explained.

"Funny, I was already told earlier today by Lazard. He said it was direct order from the President. He also told me we are attacking Wutai."

"Then you heard of the terrorist's activities?"

"Obviously," Genesis replied in a way that you could practically see him roll his eyes.

"The President order the terrorist attacks."

He could hear the other take a sharp intake of air before the First murmured, "You can't be serious."

"I'm afraid so."

"So," he asked in haughty tone, "you plan to be the next President now?"

"That position is reserved for Rufus," Sephiroth informed the other, "I want you to figure out which Soldiers and other Shinra workers are on our side. Have them prepare to take over the base in three days. That is when I'll arrive with some forces."

"Hmm... I guess I have no choice. The fall was inedible. I'll leave tonight. I assume the three days begin tomorrow."

"Correct."

"You know I won't be able to contact you further without being suspicious."

"If you need to contact us either call Angeal or better yet talk with the Turks they will get a message to us discreetly to us discreetly."

"Right," Genesis commanded, "Put Angel on."

Sephiroth would normally protest the fact it was a command, but he didn't feel like beginning their typical arguments. He handed the phone over to Angeal who was hovering by him the entire time. The First had always been closer to Genesis, afterall they were childhood friends. A concept he didn't have. Not that it really mattered to him. He didn't bother to linger and headed back to the bedroom where the Turk just finished his call with Tseng. The pale man glanced up at him and stated in his usual business like voice, "The Turks have been informed and will contact us with more information later. Tseng will probably come up with a plan by then. If not a list of who we can trust."

Vincent nodded. He blinked to find Sephiroth next to him either the general moved faster then he thought or he was losing consciousness. Sephiroth put a hand on his forehead. He sighed in relief before looking at the confused crimson eyes. With that he felt a need to explain himself, "I was checking to see if you have a fever. ...You don't, but you should rest."

The gunman faintly nodded as he buried himself under the covers letting his eyes close. Sephiroth lightly played with the ink black hair before leaving. He turned off the lights on the way out of the bedroom. Angeal looked at him and handed over the phone and asked, "Is he alright?"

The general informed, "He's fine. His body is working overtime to heal him, which drained him of his energy... So what are we going to do with Kraden?"

"He's in a prison cell. I'm positive I've gotten as much as he knows from him."

Sephiroth knew this would be a complex issue for Angeal, so he wished to tread carefully. "Do you think he will come to our side?"

"..." Angeal frowned and honestly stated, "I doubt it. He will only work for the President no matter what that means... Also, he has a strange obsession with destroying monsters and is convinced that Vincent is one. He isn't of a solid state of mind."

"Have him executed," the general commanded, "I would do it myself, but it would become a personal vendetta."

"I understand. I assume you're retiring for now." The swordsman nodded. Angeal gives a small smile, "Then I'll take care of things. Goodnight."

The door closed. Sephiroth lost himself in thoughts. Today was troubling. He seen Vincent suffer worse injuries on the tape, yet it didn't feel real until now. Seeing the Turk played off his injuries as minor when he could barely stand and pain laced his expression lightly, it pained him.. That injury would of put a 2nd class Soldier down and out for the job. He felt guilty as well as overwhelming concern. Things were never simple in the first place, but it became a lot more complex now.

He was about to retire when he remembered there was one other person he should call. He pulled out his cellphone and hit the speed dial button. It was reasonable to almost forget since Renault wasn't in Midgar often. It was answered quickly with a slightly panic voice, "Sephiroth are you okay?"

The general rolled his eyes, "Yes I'm fine."

"That's good. I heard from some doctors that the base was under enemy control and that there were many causalities."

"Too many I'm afraid. That is relavent to why I called."

"You would like me to go to Wutai?"

"No, I want you to figure out how many of the staff workers are with Shinra no matter what he does." Sephiroth could hear the unspoken question as he explained, "Wutai terrorists was a set up by President Shinra himself. In three days from now, I will be taking Shinra Tower and giving command to Rufus."

"I see, so I'm to figure out who's on our side and who isn't. You gave me a very hard task, but I'll do my best nephew."

"As you figure things out you can contact Genesis or Reno. They are our allies."

"I figured as much, well see you soon."

"...Yeah."

Renault asked with concern, "Something wrong?"

"..."

"You know keeping your emotions bottled up inside isn't good for you in the long run." The doctor had a feeling he knew what it was that concerned the boy, but he asked anyways, "Is it about Valentine?"

"He's injured and right now he's sleeping it off, but..."

"You're worried."

"Yeah, he keeps on insisting he's fine..."

"But you think otherwise. Well if he says he's fine, I'm inclined to think he probably is."

The general sighed, "Physically I know he is fine, but mentally may be another issue."

"Hmm." The doctor recalled Vincent's reaction to him. He knew terrible things must of happened to him through his brother's hand. He really cared for Hojo, but the man was wrong in many ways. He had no sense of right or wrong. Renault stated, "You know that is something you have to work with carefully, but I would treat him the same as before. He wouldn't appreciate being treated like some kind of fragile doll."

"Thanks, uncle. I appreciate it."

The other chuckled, "Anytime for my nephew."

Sephiroth hanged up and wandered into the bedroom quietly. As he stripped as usual and slipped under the covers. The Turk didn't even twitch. His breathing calm and even. It was nice and disturbing at how heavily the other slept. His lips lightly touch the pale forehead in a soft kiss before going asleep.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning came early for Sephiroth. He glanced at the person beside him. He lightly played with the black hair before getting ready for the day. He assigned a few Soldiers to stay at the base just in case there were more 'terrorists'. The rest were preparing the supplies to leave in the evening. Though at the current pace, they would finished preparations early afternoon. Though his thoughts still lingered on Vincent. He hadn't seem him wandering around yet.

Angeal wandered over to the general. "You should take a break," the First commented, "and eat. You skipped breakfast."

"So I have," the swordsman smiled, "then you can take my place."

Angeal affirmed with a nod as Sephiroth swiftly headed inside the building. He returned to his bedroom to find Vincent was still asleep. He sat down on the edge of the bed leaning over the man. His hand lightly brush aside the black strands of hair away from the man's face. He noticed the long black eyelashes fluttered a moment before crimson eyes were revealed themselves clouded with sleep. The pale man blinked before sitting upright. His voice was slow, but precise, "What time is it?"

"Almost noon."

His head snapped up with shock clearly written on his face. His mouth open to speak, but closed without saying anything. **You did suffer strong injuries. You needed the rest. **_You're talking now. _**...Vincent. I can't explain everything right now, but...it is. Argh. Let's just call it a temporary truce. I won't bug you on Hoj-er Sephiroth and you don't pester me about Viridis. Deal? **_… …For now I guess it is a deal. I do wish for you to explain, but I'm willing to wait for it. But do try to explain sooner rather then later. _**I will. **

Luckily the internal conservation ended swiftly as Sephiroth stated, "You should eat, but I think those bandages should be changed first."

The Turk glanced at his exposed chest. "It's fine," he murmured.

A mix of irritation and anger laced the general's voice as his face stayed neutral, "You really shouldn't start that up again."

Vincent sighed audibly as he reluctantly nod his consent. Sephiroth began to get to work on unraveling the bandages slowly. It didn't have as much blood as he expected. As he removed the last bit , he inspected the wound. It was significantly better. He bet the wounds would be a mere scar now if the gunman took the mako solution. He quickly rebandaged the wound. He repeated the process on the pale arm finding no sign of a wound; he bounded it anyways just in case. Once done, Sephiroth presented the Turk his briefcase that was left at camp before the assault on the base. Vincent swiftly grabbed a button up shirt and pulled it on before the general could help with it. The swordsman did manage to help with the buttoning of the shirt. The Turk didn't comment about it.

The gunman got up to the door swiftly and glanced back the general without saying a word. His expression asked 'Are you coming or not?' Sephiroth joined the Turk and led the way to the cafeteria. The general kept on glancing back at him like he expected Vincent to collapse or something. It was irritating the pale man. They reached the cafeteria without an incident. His body was recovering swiftly though it did ached a bit, but it didn't really bother or concern him.


	9. Author Delay

A/N: I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that the next chapter will take some time. It is a mixed of the fact that I have midterms, my parent visiting, and other life issues. As well as a writer's block on getting the story I've written and the events I foresee connected. Just wanted to let you all know. I will continue and finish this story (and hopefully make other stories -and finish the Fire Emblem one). Things are just a tad difficult right now. Sorry for the continued delay and hope to get it finished soon.

EDIT: Writer's block is gone. Go ahead to next chapter. As an FYI I will update monthly for now on.


	10. Preparations

A/N: Sorry all for taking so long. Let's just say life attacks you sometimes. I won't state any excuses since it was my fault. But good news is my writer's block is gone. Bad news is I will only be updating once a month now due to college work. If I get chapter written sooner, I will post it, but I won't hold my breath for it to be sooner. Thank you for all who review, watch, fave, and read my story. I appreciate all of your support. So the story continues onwards. Oh, as a side note, I didn't Beta as well as usual, so there may be errors.

Chapter 9: Preparations

The cafeteria was set up the same way as in Shinra Tower, only smaller. As they gathered food, many Soldiers said hello to Sephiroth and asked Vincent if he was feeling better. Both of them only nodded in response. It seemed the attack at the base gave the Turk even more merit and attention. Sephiroth spotted Zack who was eating with Cloud. He sat down across from them.

The boy smiled enthusiasticly, "Hey Seph, you finally decided to ea-" That was when he noticed the pale man who sat down next to the general. "Vince! You're up. I thought you were in critical condition."

The swordsman didn't comment, while the other stated firmly, "It would take a lot to put me in critical condition."

Zack didn't look too sure about that and didn't seem to know how to respond, luckily Cloud spoke up, "That's good. We were worried since we heard Sephiroth had carried you to the infirmary."

Vincent frowned slightly as the general stated, "I did."

Purple eyes widen in surprise, "Really? Were you over reacting?"

"No," the swordsman stated at the same time as the gunman said, "Yes."

They glanced at each other before either could say a word, they heard a familiar voice asked, "What are you doing up? Shouldn't you be resting?"

Vincent turned to see Nicolas with a tray of food in hand. _I shouldn't have bothered getting up today if I knew everyone would be pestering me._ "I'm fine," he stated with irritation leaking into his voice.

The medic trained Soldier muttered as he left, "If you call a sword thr-"

Sephiroth trying to cool the flames of anger interrupted, "I inspected the wounds. His arm is healed and his abdomen has improved significantly."

Nicolas glanced over at Vincent in slight disbelief before he remarked, "If you say so."

He left with the food in hand. Vincent sighed, while Zack looked concerned. He asked, "You sure your okay?"

"Yes," he replied without hesitation, "I'll be back up to full speed within two days."

The boy just nodded with an occasional glance over to Sephiroth. Cloud decided the subject had to be change and asked quietly, "So when do we leave?"

The general took a quick glanced at the clock, "In about an hour and we'll set sail tonight."

The blonde Soldier just nodded as Zack continued a conservation. The subject matter change in a direction the Turk wasn't expecting at all as the boy continued to babble, "I got a letter from Aeris before this mission."

The blonde asked, "The girl that was visiting Midgar?"

"Yep," he replied with a big grin. It was easy to see that he liked her, maybe even love her. The name Aeris seemed familiar to the Turk. After a moment he realize Aeris was the Cetra daughter of Gast. It might be another girl name Aeris, but he highly doubt it. It wasn't exactly a common name. The boy continued, "It seems she like to get in touch with me again in person. I haven't finish writing her, but I will. ...Hey Cloud, did you ever write to Tifa?"

The young Soldier fidget as he hesitantly said, "...No. But I'll write her when I become a second class Soldier."

"You should let her know you're doing well," Zack informed him.

"But I haven't accomplished anything else since my last letter," he stated firmly.

Zack let out a frustrated sigh when Vincent asserted, "You should write her anyways, otherwise she'll be worried about you."

The black hair Solider was surprised the Turk joined in. Sephiroth seemed to be as well though it was barely noticeable on his face. The gunman heard the demon grumbled.** You better not get back to your Lucrecia depression. It won't help anything. **He minutely winced at the demon's painful comment. The Second grinned mischievously as he said, "Yeah, you wouldn't want her to worry unless you're trying to get her to visit you."

Cloud seemed panic now as he exclaimed quietly, "You don't think she would come here do you?"

"By what you told me," Zack continued with his grin, "Tifa would come here in a hurry."

The blonde seemed to think about this obviously not liking his options. He decided reluctantly, "Okay, I'll write her."

"Better write her while were on the ship. We won't have much time for such things in the days to come," the Turk informed him. Cloud nodded before he left. Zack followed him.

Sephiroth said, "Let's go and check on the preparations." Vincent nodded as he followed. Having overslept, he wanted to move. He didn't like the idea of being stiff and vulnerable like when he first came out of the coffin. They went outside where Angeal still was over watching things. The general asked, "Are they ready to move out." F

Angeal turned as he answered, "As soon we get all the Soldiers loaded... You know many of them are nervous about taking over Shinra Tower." His dark blue eyes darted from the general to Vincent. "You're up already. I assume you feel better?"

The Turk nodded as he informed the First, "The two days of sailing will be more than enough to get me back to full strength."

Angeal just accepted the response. After all he knew through Sephiroth what Hojo could do. Wounds healing in impossible speed was definitely one of them. The general interrupted his thoughts as he ordered, "Get them ready to go."

The First nodded and began to give orders through his phone. Sephiroth motioned with his hand for Vincent to follow him. They went over to where the jeeps were being loaded and many Soldiers getting in. The general took the driver's seat while Vincent positioned himself in the seat behind him. Within a few minutes, Angeal sat beside Sephiroth while Zack and Cloud join the Turk in the back. Once all was loaded the vehicles began to drive through the forest on the dirt road. He remembered from one of the maps it would lead to the boats; they didn't take the path before for it was an obvious way to the base. The boys began to converse while Vincent slipped into a dreamless sleep.

Hours went by uneventful. The Turk didn't awaken until the engine was turned off. Sephrioth turned to see him blink into consciousness. Angeal was already giving orders for Soldiers to load the equipment and some of the jeeps aboard. Zack and Cloud were already running errands for the First. The general asked him, "Did you want to rest some more?"

Vincent only stated, "I'll be in the room. I assume it's the same one as before?" The silver head nodded before turning to assist Angeal in directing Soldiers. The Turk walked aboard the boat traversing the hallways and avoiding the others work. When he was within the room, he skimmed the bookshelf. He pulled out a book called 'Materia Types and Components'. He laid down on the bed and began to read. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

The helicopter landed and Genesis jumped out. There was a Soldier waiting for him with a salute he informed, "Genesis sir, you are requested to see Lazard immediately."

The First smirked at the word 'requested', but went straight there anyways. He entered Lazard's office shutting the door firmly behind him. The man was looking out the window. His blonde hair that was normal tidy was barely combed. He turned to face the Soldier as he stated, "The terrorism in Wutari runs deep. The president wishes for all of Wutari to be subdued."

Lazard was always easy to read. He was obviously not pleased with the idea, but he asked rhetorically, "And you don't wish to do so?"

"No, but we're not being given a choice," the head of Soldiers replied promptly and kept his voice even.

"Sephiroth thinks otherwise," the First informed him lightly with a smirk settling on his lips.

Blue eyes met Genesis's lighter ones as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"The president set this up themselves," the auburn Soldier stated, "Since the evidence was plan to see the General plans to dethrone you father and put your brother in his place."

Lazard frowned at the confidential information of his identity was known by him. He carefully said, "So Sephiroth is coming here while you round up allies here."

"More or less," the First shrugged before he demand, "So are you in or not?"

"I'm in," he confirmed already heading to his computer, "I will make three list: allies, enemies, and neutrals." As he began to type a question occurred to him, "When will they be here?"

"In two days," Genesis replied easily.

The typing stop as Lazard looked up at the Soldier and stated, "that is very little time."

"Then I suggest we keep bust," he suggest with that smirk widening as the First goes towards the door.

"What will you do?" Lazard still hadn't resumed typing.

"I'll be doing everything else," he drawled before he left the head to his work. Genesis moved swiftly down to the seventh floor. It was early for lunch, but there were still many eating in the cafeteria. His blue eyes finally spotted who he was looking for. The First stood behind the redhead as he was relaying a story, "So then I told the guy. He could bring as many of his little friends he wants. I would beat their asses the same way I beat his."

Rude was trying to informed Reno with his eyes, but the redhead thought it was his typical eye roll. The other Turks stayed silent as the Soldier asked, "Really now, would you even if one of his friends was me?"

The redhead paled as he turned to face Genesis with a guilty smile. He scratched his head as he stated, "Yo Gen, way to ruin my story." The Soldier didn't say anything. Reno continued, "Soo you're back from vacation already."

"That's right," he distractedly said. His light blue eyes obviously searching for a good place to talk.

Reno grinned as he asserted, "Oh yeah, I was borrowin' your book. Ya probably want it back." He strolled leisurely towards the door giving the Soldier a wink, "Come on, I left it in my room."

Genesis was confused until the wink. It was a clever way to go somewhere private without being obvious about it. "Lead on, " he replied. He followed the Turk down a floor to the man's room. Once inside, Reno informed him, "All Turks are on our side."

"Really now, all of them?," he said incredulously.

"Or been sent on a 'mission' where they were somehow killed or went missing," the redhead stated with a hand motion across the throat to emphasize his point.

"Anything else?" asked the First impatiently.

"Ah...well, Renault informed me the doctors and scientist who spend most their time in the upper labs are on our side as well as most of the secretaries and some security personnel. We figure the all mercenaries are against us."

"...I see," Genesis replied as he browsed through what few books the Turk had. He took one off the shelf called, 'Edgar Allen Poe'. Reno frowned and asked, "What are ya doing? That's Rude's book ya know."

"It's the only one that looks like something I may own," the First informed the other leaving with it in hand. He smiled to himself as he continued onwards with the list of tasks in mind.

Sephiroth had the ships sailing in no time. The approximation of arrival was the day after tomorrow early morning, which was good since that was when their were few awake and watch begin to if not already are tired. He decided to train down in the engine room. He did practice movements with his Masamune until he heard his phone ring. He took his time sheathing his sword. By the time he answered the phone it rang 4 times. "Hello," he said into the phone curious who called him since it listed some number instead of a name.

"Yo Seph, ya took long enough to answer," replied the voice on the line.

The general chuckled, "Well Reno, I thought you were going to call Vincent."

"I did and the guy didn't pick it off. He probably turned it off by mistake. He is horrendous with phones...yet he seems to do fine with computers."

"You're babbling," he informed the Turk, "Could you get to the point?"

"Well you're no fun. ...Fine I'll get to the point. I called to update ya on the situation. All the remaining Turks are on our side. Most of the office staff are, as well as the doctors and scientists of the upper labs. Lazard is compiling a list of Soldiers that are. If ya want I can send a list."

"That won't be necessary," the general stated, "I will leave the task to your boss about how to handle things there."

"Right. Right," said Reno, "Well say hi to the other for me." Sephiroth made an noncommittal noise, as the Turk growled in frustration, "Fine don't, geez I didn't think it was a big request. Anyway I'll call ya tomorrow. Bye."

Sephiroth hanged up the phone heading towards his room. He guessed that Vincent had fallen asleep, but he wanted to be sure. He opened the door and swiftly checked the place to find the Turk on the bed laying on his side with a book in his right hand. His red cloak was on the nearby chair, his gunner belt was there as well. He didn't really examine the black leather shirt before. It was designed for flexibility and had two silts in the back for Chaos's wings. It was long sleeve on the right side. The left was a sleeve that stopped barely pasted the shoulder leaving a small space between its end and the gauntlet's beginning. The general tried to remove the book, which caused crimson eyes to open. They blinked several times before Vincent sat up.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," Sephiroth stated. The Turk just nodded despite Chaos quiet growl. "Reno called not to long ago," the swordsman informed, "and gave updates of who's on our side so far. He'll call again tomorrow."

Vincent stated in a flat tone, "I thought he was going to call me."

"He claimed he did." Vincent went over to the table removing the phone from the belt. Flipping it open said 'One missed call from Reno'. He frowned minutely as he hit the red button to remove it from the screen. Sephiroth chuckled, "He thought you turned it off."

The Turk looked at him with an expression of puzzlement. "It could be turned off?"

The next few minutes became a lesson on how to turn the phone on and off, how to recharge it, switch between sound, vibration, and silent mode, and a few other small features. Once the lessons were done Vincent sighed, "I think I like these better when they were corded."

Sephiroth smiled amused by the entire phone experience, "But they are much more convenient like this."

The gunman shrugged as they both heard a knock on the door. The swordsman went to the door to find Zack, while the Turk put on his cloak and belt. "Hey I thought I would let ya know it's grub time." He noticed Vincent and commented, "Hey you were both easy to find for once."

They followed the boy to the cafeteria which was as noisy as usual. Cloud had join them on his own accord for once. The subject of conversations within the group and the rest of the cafeteria stayed away from the upcoming battle. Vincent honestly didn't feel like focusing on the conservation. **You better not be thinking about her. **_I'm not._ He thought irritable. Since the Turk was mainly focusing on his meal, he finished first. "I'm going to retire," he informed them flatly. He left hearing the okays and Zack's, "Rest up."

He returned to the room tossing his cloak onto the chair and belt onto table. He picked up the book and continued where he left off. Within a half an hour, Sephiroth came in quietly only to realize the Turk was up. "I thought you would be asleep," the swordsman commented.

"I did have a nap not too long ago," Vincent stated without his eyes leaving the pages of the book. The general shrugged as he put his sword against the wall and sat on the bed working on reports. The gunman read many chapters trying to keep his thoughts away from Lucrecia. It would have been easy if Chaos didn't bring it up. He for the most part managed well. His eyes began to lose focus. That was when he decided to retire for the night. Vincent did his regular routine of changing in bathroom as Sephiroth just stripped down. Once they were both settled on the bed. The Turk murmured, "Goodnight," before letting his eyes closed. The general stared at the pale man truly astonished. It was the first time Vincent initiated the goodnight. A smile was plain to see as the swordsman let himself sleep.

Sephiroth awaken his usual time. He glanced over at the still sleeping Turk. He didn't seem plagued with nightmares for once his lip seemed to curve up subtly in a tiny smile. The general fingered the ink black hair before getting dress. He had a lot on his mind including Vincent and relationships, but he shoved it into the corner of his mind. He needed to concentrate on how to conquer Shinra Tower with as few causalties as possible. He wandered out letting his mind stroll.

Genesis had awaken early with a purpose in mind. He knew exactly where Rufus would be. Tseng would be as well. In his hand he had the list Lazard finished compiling late last night. The man wasn't going to be in the meeting for many reasons the top was probably being his brother. Rufus didn't know about having a brother. He was probably afraid the First would let the information slip out. It would be amusing to do so, but now wasn't the time for such antics. He reached the door to Rufus's quarters. It was left slightly ajar, so the Soldier just walked in closing the door quietly behind him. Rufus was sitting by a round wooden table. The boy glanced up as he asked, "Is it really necessary to meet here? What is so important hmm?"

Genesis chuckled incredulously as he stated, "You haven't' told him yet."

Tseng frowned, "I figured now would be a better time."

Shinra's son frowned darkly, "tell me what?"

The First smiled as he recited, "That the goddess descends from the sky, wings of light and dark spread afar. She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."

This caused Rufus to glower even more as he hissed, "Quoting Loveless doesn't answer my question."

Genesis just smiled completely amused by this leaving Tseng to explain, "We are removing your father from power. He has falsified attacks in order to get what he wants. We would like you to take his place as president."

The blonde slowly absorbed the information as he asked, "Who's we?"

The First answered this time, "We was begun by Sephiroth who was joined by Angeal, the Turk Vincent, which spread onto us and well more than half of the employees here."

Rufus blinked as he began to click the pieces into place, "You're serious about this?"

"Absolutely," the head Turk answered immediately.

You could see the gears turning in the new president's brain. "You know he won't step down. He would have to be eliminated."

"That was the idea," stated the Turk.

"I see, so what's the plan?" asked Rufus.

"We shall see now won't we," Genesis replied cryptically. He looked over at Tseng who pulled out a phone and dialed a number

Vincent awaken to a ringing sound. It slowly pulled him from his memories of Lucrecia. At first he thought it was an alarm of some kind, but it was too quite. It finally occurred to the Turk it was the phoned. He went over pulling the phone out and hitting the green button to answer. "Hello," he said flatly through the phone.

"Hello Vincent," Tseng said, "Could you get Sephiroth and Angela to meet someplace secure and then turn the phone to speaker mode?"

The gunman nodded, but then remembered it couldn't be seen, "It will take a few minutes."

"That's fine," the other replied.

Vincent set the phone down on the table. Swiftly pulled his cloak and belt on before heading down the hall. He was about to head to the engine room when he realize the general's scent was fresher towards the deck. He headed up the stairs and spotted the silver hair Soldier watching the sea silently. "Tseng is on the phone," the Turk informed him, "We are to have a meeting."

Sephiroth faced him giving a small smile. He noticed that his cloak was over the clothes he sleep in instead of leather, but didn't mention it as he headed down the stairs. Vincent followed him to the cafeteria where they found Angeal, which the Turk would of thought he would be somewhere else. The First looked up as the general approached. He had a coffee in hand and got up without a word. They all went to the swordsman's and Turk's quarters. Once inside Sephiroth sat down on a couch. Angeal took the opposite couch. Vincent grabbed the phone and sat by Sephiroth setting the phone on the table hitting speaker mode. "We're here," the gunman stated.

"Then everyone's accounted for," Tseng said.

Rufus immediately asked, "What is the plan?"

Sephiroth answered, "We'll be arriving tomorrow morning. I doubt we will be able to get in under normal pretenses, so we'll fight our way in. I expect your forces will be trying to gain complete control of the tower as well as eliminating higher ups who are against up. I would like security to be completely on our side, so alarms don't get set off."

"I already made sure people on our side have positions for surveillance as well as the upper door guards. The lower ones are mixed though," the head Turk informed.

Genesis stated, "It should make easy access to Shinra for elimination."

Vincent listened to the voice he didn't know when his thoughts wandered to the laboratories. "What about the labs?"

Tseng responded, "Upper ones are on our side. The lower are against us and not in our control in any way. We know very little about the lower labs and security there is strict."

"That will be problematic," the Turk continued, "especially if they retreat there."

The First said, " We'll just have to block it off then with Soldiers positioned there."

Sephiroth commanded, "Have them look for both people going there and leaving from there."

Rufus asked, "What do you expect to leave?"

Vincent answered immediately, "Experiments. People enhanced more then regular Soldiers."

The general added, "They most likely know we're coming."

"But," Angeal said, "I don't think they expect us to arrive so soon. Also give squad leaders headsets set for 289."

The conservation continued into details of who must be eliminated, arrangement of forces. The phone call ended after another half hour of discussion. Angeal and Sephiroth continued to talk. At that point Vincent put his cloak to the side and continue to read the Materia book. That was when Angeal noticed the casual attire for the Turk. Within ten or so minutes, there was a knock. The gunman set the book down and answered it since the Soldiers were still chatting.

He opened the door to reveal a Zack. "Hi Vincent," he said belatedly noticing the difference in attire, "I was wondering if Angela is here."

The Turk nodded as he opened the door wider for the boy to come in. "Hey ya ready for lunch?"

Angeal confirmed after a glance at Sephiroth. The gunman pulls on the cloak and follow them to the cafeteria. Lunch went by swiftly as well as dinner. After dinner there was an announcement for all three ships. Sephiroth had the mic to talk with everyone on all three ships at the same time. He was in the command room, Angeal was sitting at the table while Vincent leaned against the wall.

"I know many of you are nervous about this battle, but I want you all to know Genesis is leading the Soldiers inside Shinra Tower. We have the support of the Turks as well as many other employees. For those of you who have their doubts on the purpose of the attack let me inform you. Mr. Shinra no longer has a right to be our president. He killed his own Soldiers to try to start a conquest of Wutari. He betrayed us therefore we will have a new president, Rufus Shinra. Together we will correct Mr. Shinra's mistake."

Vincent could hear cheers throughout the ship despite the thick walls. Sephiroth knew how to give a speech to inspire his Soldiers. The general continued, "We shall strike tomorrow before dawn. Squad leaders will have orders given to them by myself or Angeal. Remember to be up promptly."

He turned off the microphone. Vincent helped relay orders with the other two. In no time, all was prepared for. All of them retired for the night. Soldiers retired early as well in order to awaken on time. Once in the quarter, Vincent removed the cloak and belt. He was about to slip under the covers to sleep when Sephiroth asked, "Have you check your bandages?"

The Turk grimaced as he shook his head. He sat up knowing that the general wanted to check that the wound was healed. He unbuttoned the shirt swiftly; he was getting the hang of using his claw for buttons without ripping them. Once the shirt was off, Sephiroth began to undo the bandages. Once it was removed, he searched the pale side for traces of the wound. Not seeing any he carefully fingered the side pressing it to be sure nothing of the wound remained. Vincent tolerated the process as the general asked, "Nothing hurts?"

"There is no wound anymore," the Turk stated firmly. Sephiroth nodded as he helped the Turk put on the shirt. "Goodnight," the gunman said as he got himself comfortable under the covers. The last thing he heard before sleep overtook him was Sephiroth's voice.

"Goodnight Vincent."


End file.
